Ash watched with his mouth agape. Rude. He could only describe the girl as rude. His eyes were fixed on her and to his horror, she caught him staring.

"Got any problem?" She asked as calmly as she could but Ash could feel the storm behind her words. He gulped but he couldn't allow a girl to overwhelm him. The whole class was watching after all. He opened his mouth but no voice came out at first. Clearing his throat a little, he tried again,"That was rude. Lyra helped you, you know."

"I know," she replied monotonously,"But I didn't ask for assistance, right?"

"You're still rude."

"I don't care."

"Come on," Ash got up, feeling a little more confident in himself,"With that attitude, you won't make any decent friends."

"Who needs such things?" She said as she took the seat beside him,"I don't need any friends."

The class was silent. Some were passing each other looks but Ash ignored everything. His eyes were fixed on the girl beside him. And he didn't knew why, but he felt like somehow his monotonous life had gained some melody.

He shook his head to get rid of those thoughts. He knew he wasn't a masochist so no way would he feel overwhelmed by the rude girl. He sat down, still looking at the girl from the corner of his eyes. Her hair was messy and it didn't take him long to figure out that she had been in a fight.

Although he wasn't a fan of violence, he could not help but think how such a petite girl like her could take on those fan girls of Trip. He watched as she slowly put on a pair of triangular yellow clips on her hair and for a second, he knew why Trip approached her.

She was pretty, he could swear on that. Her hair had an unusual shine to them and they looked soft. Her eyes were fixed on her hands as she was chewing her bottom lip, completely lost in her own world.

"Dawn," Gary approached the blue haired girl,"Nice to be in the same class as you."

The blue haired beauty stared blankly at him for a second and nodded, without saying anything.

"Class is going to start soon," Gary spoke again,"And I'm sitting right behind you. If you need any help, do tell me."

"That won't be necessary," she replied and Ash could feel a vein popping on his forehead at the reply. However before he could say anything, Gary beat him to it,"I don't mean academic wise. After all you scored perfect marks on the entrance test, right? I'm talking about other helps."

"As I said," Dawn said, sighing,"I don't need anything from the likes of you. Creep. Leave me alone."

Gary gave an awkward laugh and scratched the back of his head as he sat behind Ash, whispering to him,"Tough, isn't she?"

"Rude," Ash whispered back.

"Yet beautiful," Gary whispered again.

Ash laughed and hit Gary's arm,"There goes your womanizing antenna."

"Are you blind or something," Gary asked, bewildered,"She is pretty. And intelligent too!"

"I can see that," Ash said as he stole a glance again,"But I really don't want to have any type of connection with this bully. Moreover, Leaf, Serena, Lyra, Misty, they're in no way less attractive than her. So don't waste your time on a hopeless cause."

"Yeah, yeah," Gary settled on his seat, flipping his bangs to show off,"But no womanizer gives up without even trying."

"You damn Masochist," Ash said, groaning,"That's so like you, going and collecting a girl's data even before she enters the class. How did you know her marks anyways?" Gary gave him a smirk and Ash looked away, mumbling,'Pervert. Idiot.'

"Anyways Dawn," Gary spoke aloud, getting Ash's attention who noticed Dawn was looking at Gary, looking clearly annoyed,"Why did you transfer in middle of the nowhere?" Although class hadn't started officially yet, her name was not on the list of students which came before start of the session.

"Because I felt like it," Dawn nonchalantly replied, stressing on the word felt,"I'm sleepy. Leave me alone."

Gary sighed again as he watched Dawn looking away and then turned to Ash, who quickly waved his hands in front of his face, saying,"Nops. I won't help you anyway Gary."

"But I didn't even say anything!" Gary groaned.

"Oh?" Ash stared at him,"What do you want?"

"I just want to be her friend! After all she is new and alone," Gary said, flipping his hairs. Again. Ash rolled his eyes as he looked away, saying,"She will be alone if she doesn't fix that rotten attitude."

"Wow," Gary was amazed and patted the other boy's back,"You're finally showing some facial expression other than a smile. I had no idea you could show your angry side at school too."

Ash deadpanned,"She pissed me off beyond limits!" Why was he friend with Gary again? Right! He had no idea why.

"You're thinking way too much about this," Gary grinned,"You haven't developed a crush on her, have you?"

Ash glared at him, shutting the brunette up.

'Melody and her?' Ash thought, resting his cheek on the palm of his hand,'More like noise.'

.

A young brunette, about twenty five years old was teaching the class about cell reproduction. Ash stared at his watch and took a long yawn.

'More ten minutes,' he thought,'Then lunch. Damn, I'm hungry.'

"Class," Teacher Juniper said,"As you all know, we have a new transfer student, Dawn. Will you stand up, Dawn?"

Dawn stood up and Juniper continued,"Since she is new, be nice to her even if she annoys you all." The class laughed. ''Introduce yourself, Dawn."

The girl nodded and took a small breath,"I'm Dawn Berlitz and as many of you may have already guessed, I'm daughter of Johanna Berlitz, the owner of Pearl Phone Company. I like gardening and a bit of playing various instruments like piano and mouth organ. That's all. Thank you." She sat down, getting weird look from everyone.

Ash, who was sitting right next to her couldn't help but wonder why the name sounded familiar. Was Johanna the name of the fat and sweet woman at bakery? He shook his head, trying hard to focus. Or was she the lady at the ice cream parlour? 'Seriously,' he groaned,'My brain stops working whenever I need it the most.'

Juniper sighed as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes,"She is a shy person so she hardly communicates with anyone but please make her feel at ease. Well, anyways, Gary, you are in charge of showing Dawn around school. Got it?"

The addressed boy grinned at the news,"Done, Mam."

"Don't think that you're free from cleaning work though," Juniper said, making Gary groan,"Since your partner is absent because of her cold, you and Dawn would stay behind and clean this classroom then show her around. Okay?"

"Can't I just do the latter part?" Gary pleaded.

"No," Juniper sternly said,"Thats all for today. Class dismissed."

Ash watched as Dawn collected her books and kept it in her bag. He took a sigh of relief since he wasn't asked to show her around. He watched as Gary started a conversation with Dawn, who, for the first time since he saw her, wasn't looking angry.

"Oh well," he said, getting up and yawing.

Hardly had he put a step outside the classroom when he saw some girls about to enter the class. One girl, who had almost knee length hair in two pigtail asked him,"Is Lyra here?"

Ash blinked twice,"Y-yes."

Without even thanking him, the girls rushed inside and called for Lyra, who quietly followed them outside. Ash recognized the one who spoke to him. He was sure her name was Iris and she was the leader of Trip fanclub. Somehow, he had guessed what the group wanted from Lyra.

"Excuse me." He heard a soft voice and before he could blink, he saw Dawn rushing out of the classroom in a hurry.

"The hell?" Ash spoke aloud.

"And when I was finally having a conversation," Gary said as he approached Ash,"I wonder why she left in a hurry?"

"Me too.." Ash admitted.

"May be nature's call!" The brunette joked.

"Gross," Ash said, rolling his eyes,"Well, gotta take a walk. See you in next class."

"I'm gonna meet Leaf at the canteen then. Only she can make me feel better after getting turned down thrice by a single girl in just five minutes," Gary said jokingly,"See ya!"

"Wait, she didn't squeal or anything like that after hearing all those catchphrases? That's something new," Ash asked, holding back his laugh.

"Yeah!" Gary whined as he pointed at himself,"How can anyone turn down such a hot guy like me?"

"Loathe in self pity," Ash rolled his eyes at Gary and turned to walk away, waving his hand,"See you soon."

"Okay."

.

Lyra was cornered and she knew she had messed up badly. She could feel her erratic heartbeat and was sure that her heart was going to pop out from her chest.

In front of her was the Trip fanclub, being led by Iris, who was staring at the poor girl angrily.

"You informed Volkner Sir about the fight, didn't you?" One girl with greenish hair asked, making Lyra wince as the poor girl gulped hard.

"Don't think staying quiet will make us stop," Iris barked,"Speak up."

Lyra could feel tears forming in her eyes and her vision was becoming foggy. She tightly clutched the hem of her skirt as she stared at the ground intensely, biting her lower lip. In her mind, she was screaming for help though she knew hardly anyone came at the terrace.

Getting no response from the girl, Iris yelled again,"You know what happened! We have to stay behind and help the animal club to clean the chicken coops as a punishment! None of this would've happened if you had kept your filthy mouth shut!"

"I'm sorry," Lyra blurted out,"But seven against one wasn't fair at all! And Dawn didn't even do anything wrong!"

Iris and other girls were visibly angry. Iris said through gritted teeth,"She rejected Trip! Not only that, she totally humiliated him! And you're saying that it wasn't wrong!"

"Yes!" Lyra said, putting up a brave front even though she was scared,"She rejected him and its not her fault that Trip doesn't know how to take a no. It is not her fault if she kicked him in self defense while he tried to grab her hair!"

"You have the guts to talk back?" Another girl, with wavy brown hair asked,"How bad of you, poor Lyra!"

''Let me go!" Lyra whispered,"You will get into trouble if-"

"Shut up!" The girls screamed and Lyra could see how angry they looked. Her heart skipped a beat and she let out a small cry, her body trembling due to fear. Iris caught her by her collar, making her wince and Lyra instinctively closed her eyes, knowing what was about to come.

"We will teach you a good lesson so that you learn to stay out of others business," Iris spoke and Lyra felt a shiver running down her spine at the words.

"Really?" A new voice spoke from behind them and Iris's grip on Lyra loosened enough to let her escape.

"You.." Iris said, narrowing her eyes at Dawn,"Why are you here?"

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from me?" Dawn said to Lyra who ran and his behind the blunette. Dawn grabbed Lyra's arms as she asked again, totally pissed,"Why the hell were you defending me! You should have apologized and washed your hands off this!"

"I.. I just.." Lyra was at a loss for words. Why was she getting yelled at for taking her side?

"Anyways, go to classroom and don't you dare run to any teacher for help this time," Dawn warned the girl and then turned to Iris,"Silly you. Can't cope up with me so taking your anger out on a weaker one?"

Iris narrowed her eyes,"Don't you think you're overestimating yourself?"

"What if I am?" Dawn smirked, as she walked toward Iris, keeping a distance between the girls and Lyra. The other girls took a step back though Iris refused to even budge. Dawn clicked her tongue as she spoke again, her eyes showing pure disgust,"I know my abilities, and I have trust in them. Unlike you, I don't pick on someone way out of my league. Aren't you angry at me for kicking that useless Troy, or Thor or something like that? Then why the hell you're going after her? Or are you too afraid to face me?"

"What?!" Iris was almost fuming now, while the other girls were waiting for their leader to say something. Dawn felt Lyra still standing behind her and took a slow, deep breath.

"Go from here, Lyra," Dawn warned the girl again, her tone sharp,"You don't have to stand for someone you don't even know. You'll just get in the way."

"But Dawn," Lyra began, not at all ready to move,"I don't want to!"

"Get lost, will you!" Dawn screeched, scaring the so called Trip-fanclub who decided to leave everything on the leader. Lyra was about to say something when Dawn cut her off, yelling again,"I told you before, I don't need your patronage! Leave!"

"Bu-"

Lyra was cut off by Dawn again, who yelled,"Gosh, are you deaf? Leave!"

Lyra bit her lip and nodded. She passed Iris and the others one last disgusting look and ran away, not noticing the presence of a raven haired boy near the staircase.

"Seriously," Iris began, feeling a little confident,"You think you can just leave?"

"Nope," Dawn said, smirking,"I don't. But, who cares, I better deal with you annoying fangirls now."

Ash sighed as he saw Dawn in middle of seven other girls. He was interested to watch how things would turn out but instead, he began walking towards the group, quickly, forcing a smile on his face,"There you're Dawn! Juniper Mam is looking for you!"

The blunette raised her eyebrows at him, not believing anything he was saying and Ash sighed, saying,"Lets go."

"We have business which we need to take care of!" Iris spoke again, clutching Dawn's arm tightly,"She needs to be here." Ash saw how Dawn winced at the sudden contact and he took a deep sigh. This girl sure needs to control her mouth.

Ash rolled his eyes at the thought. Why was he here even? It wasn't as if he was following her consciously. He just wanted to see what trouble she was going to get herself into. "Fine then, don't blame me when Juniper Mam comes here in a while." 'I don't understand,' he thought,'I shouldn't be here! I shouldn't help her when she doesn't want! But I just couldn't leave!'

Iris and other girls paled at the piece of information. The greenish haired girl finally asked,"Juniper Mam is coming here?"

Ash hid his smirk at the success,"Yes. Well, I'll be going then!"

He turned and was about to leave when Iris spoke up,"Okay then, we will put our business to a halt. Dawn, watch your back."

With that, the group left in a hurry. Dawn was staring blankly at Ash who was holding back his laughter.

"Why did you lie?" She asked.

"Because it was fun?" He answers, rubbing his nose,"How did you know I was lying?"

"You look like a liar," She said making him even more annoyed. Without even waiting for him to say anything, she turned to leave. However he just hit her slowly on the arm, saying,"You're one rude and impulsive one, aren't you?"

"How unpleasant," she murmured and began walking and let out a groan when Ash began walking beside her. She asked him again,"Why are you following me?"

"We are just heading in the same direction," he coolly replied, putting his hands inside the pocket of his trousers. Dawn rolled her eyes again and looked away.

"Won't you thank me or something!" He asked, a little perplexed,"I helped you, you know?"

"Did I tell you to help me?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she raised her eyebrows. Ash stopped walking to stare at her and replied,"So what! I helped you!"

"I didn't ask for anything!" Dawn pointed out,"Seriously, how annoying."

Ash rolled his eyes as he began walking again,"Angry Potato."

Her mouth went open with the sudden nickname. "Me-Meddling Idiot."

"Rude Snob."

"Wha-" Dawn exclaimed,"Annoying Brat. Don't follow me, Lying Stalker!" Ash watched as she ran away.

"Seriously," he whined, holding his head,"Why the hell did I jump to help her! That stuck up Cruel Girl!"

.

When she returned to class, she had no idea what to do. Lyra was passing her looks and she couldn't understand what her looks meant. Was she angry? Was she sad? Or afraid? Dawn sighed slowly and sat down, praying for the class to start.

"You're back," Gary greeted Dawn as he entered the class,"Where had you been?"

"Bathroom," she (rep)lied.

"I see," Gary sat down on his desk behind her,"You know, I was wondering if I show you around school after we complete our job. What do you think?"

"You're seriously inviting me?" She asked, looking a bit confused.

Gary chuckled,"Of course. You sound like we should avoid you as if you're plague."

"I won't be surprised if that happens," she whispered and Gary tilted his head, looking confused,"Sorry. Can you repeat?"

"Nothing."

"So? What do you say?" Gary looked extremely excited,"Wanna go?"

Dawn bit her lip before she answered,"Okay."

Maybe transferring school wasn't a bad idea at all.

.

Dawn didn't know what to do. She was getting pretty annoyed by Gary's constant effort of flirting with her yet for some reason, she couldn't just stop listening to his overused cliché lines.

Class was over a while ago and most of the students had left, except the two of them because of their cleaning duties.

"I got the cleaning instruments," Gary said with a smile as he came to where Dawn was,"From where should we start, Dawn?"

"Does it matter?" She said, getting up from her seat,"We have to clean this entire thing, right?"

"You're quite blunt," Gary teased,"I like that."

Before he could witness the slight redness on her cheeks, she turned away without replying and picked up the mop and a bucket. Gary ruffled his hair. He hadn't had any problem wooing any girl before thus accepting this was turning extremely hard and to some sort, was a blow to his ego, for him.

Taking a deep breath, he picked up a piece of cloth and walked over to the blackboard.

Dawn was wiping the floor with a mop, while listening to Gary who was cleaning the blackboard.

"It's actually nice," Gary spoke in a loud voice since Dawn was at a distance,"You should definitely check the cafeteria.''

''Oh."

"And the desserts are tasty too; I really love them! I'm sure you'll like it too," Gary kept on rambling.

"Oh."

"Hey, Dawn," Gary now began wiping the teacher's desk,"Do you have any siblings?"

"No."

"I see," Gary said, looking a little troubled to find the next question,"Oh! You're really a rich kid, aren't you?"

Dawn stopped mopping for a while as she remembered the whispers she heard on her first day. Shaking the thought off, she began mopping again as she asked,"Yes. Why?"

"Its not everyday when I see daughter of the owner of the company whose phone I'm using," Gary tried to make the blunette laugh however he was met with disappointment,"Ahh... Sorry for that."

Dawn inhaled slowly,"Okay."

"You don't speak much, do you?" Gary said as he began walking in her direction.

"So?"

He stopped and sighed,"Nothing. I'll start wiping the windows."

Dawn put away the mop and pulled out a clean piece of cloth from the cabinet kept at the corner of the room and began wiping the window glasses.

"Opps," Gary said, almost apologized as he pulled out a phone,"Gotta take this call."

"Why are you asking me?" Dawn said in an irritated voice as she kept cleaning the windows,"Go ahead." Gary, though he was calm and collected type of guy, couldn't help but roll his eyes at the comments.

"Hello?" Gary spoke to someone on the phone,"Yes, Gramps! School is over but I-"

Dawn stopped her work and turned to look at Gary who had shrieked,"What? I'm coming!"

He quickly disconnected the call and turned to Dawn, bowing his head in an apologizing way,"Dawn, sorry! But can you cover up for me? Gramps need my help and I have to leave ASAP!"

"Fine," she replied as she returned to her work,"You can go."

"I'll show you around tomorrow," Gary said as he picked his bag and rushed out,"Thanks a lot and sorry too! Smell ya soon!"

Dawn sighed and returned to her cleaning, whispering to herself,"Alone again huh. Oh well. Goodbye."

She had yet to clean the window and check all the desks to look if someone had forgot anything. Her energy dropped as she lazily carried on with her work, all alone. She knew it would always come down to this so she didn't fuel her expectations. People leave. They always do when they don't need you or they find something more exciting than what you can offer.

"Why do I always find you alone?" Ash said as he leaned against the wall near her,''Where is Gary?"

"Annoying Brat," she hissed,"Are you still stalking me? I didn't even hear you coming."

"We have the same classroom, for your kind information. You looked deep in thought! I called you twice you know," Ash replied with equal strength, rolling his eyes at her,"I'll ask you again, where is Gary?"

"Is that how you ask for something?" Dawn asked, raising her eyebrows. Ash rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. He could already feel his blood boiling,"Can you please tell me, where is Gary?"

"Better," she said smugly and went back to work,"He went home."

"Left you to do all work by yourself?" Ash asked, raising his eyebrows and couldn't help but roll his eyes when she nodded.

Dawn heard some shifting noise beside him and turned to see Ash picking up the cloth Gary had left at the table. "Hey!" She half yelled at him,"What are you doing?"

"Helping a damsel in distress, can't you see," he said and began wiping the window, much to her annoyance.

"I can do it myself, so don't hesitate to leave," she offered and went back to work.

"I know," he whispered loud enough for her to hear and went quiet. Neither of them spoke for a while as they continued working silently.

"I'll show you around," Ash suddenly spoke up,"After all, its your first day."

"No." She bluntly refused him,"No need."

"Thats gonna leave a bad impression on our school though," Ash said.

"So?" She turned to face him,"Its not like I'm gonna stay here for a long time."

"What?" He was confused,"We have three more years of high school."

"I know," she said, then started to speak again, changing the topic,"Clean properly, will you?"

"That Gary," Ash cursed, getting her full attention,"Why do I have to clean up his mess every single time?"

"If you're just going to complain, you can leave," Dawn said, exhaling,"No need to worry, I don't need help from a irritating person like you."

"Hah?" Ash pointed at himself,"I am irritating?"

"Yes."

"I.. I.. As if you're one to speak," Ash gave up, and sat down on a bench,"Seriously, do you want to look around school or not?"

"I.." Dawn thought for while before answering,"Fine."

"Fine what?"

"I'll allow you to show me around."

"You... You really love this, don't you?"

Dawn looked at him and tilted her head, giving him a smirking face,"What do you think?"

.

Ash was showing Dawn around the school and to his horror or delight (he couldn't decide which word was more suitable), he found Dawn as a completely different person.

With the school almost empty, long gone was her 'stay away from me' attitude. Ash couldn't decide what was scarier, an angry Dawn who jumped headfirst into troubles which weren't even meant for her or a quiet Dawn who was silently following him, asking occasional questions.

"Thats the canteen," Ash said, pointing at a small shed like building which was a little far from all the other large ones,"Its a little far from our classroom but the food here is nice."

"Hmm."

"And can you see that large building? The one painted blue and white? That's the auditorium and seminar Hall."

"Hmm."

"You can at least say something more than a 'hmm'," Ash said, a little irritated,"Its like I'm having a one way conversation."

"That's not false at all," she replied.

"God!" He pulled his hair,"What are you made of! So stubborn!"

"I am made up of flesh and blood it seems," she replied again and Ash deadpanned at her serious voice.

"What do you do when you're happy then?" He tried to start a conversation again.

"Listen to music."

"And what do you do when you're sad?" He prayed for a normal answer this time.

"Listen to music."

"What the-" he stopped himself from yelling,"Do you even do anything other than acting irritated, ignoring people and listening to music?"

She crooked her neck to get a good look at his face and nodded,"I try to understand the lyrics sometimes."

"You're retarded," Ash said, deadpanning,"I give up."

"Don't tell anyone anything," Dawn suddenly said as she stopped walking.

"Fine," Ash said, a little confused,"But everyone will generally notice."

He could swear that he caught Dawn feeling a little sad on hearing that. Concerned, though just a little, he asked her,"You don't want people to find out?"

"No," she replied instantly,"It would be bad but do you really think people would notice?"

'Won't people find out if someone is retarded?' Ash thought then spoke aloud,"I will try to keep my mouth shut as long as I can. However, I am not sure, many people can notice this things. You better keep your guard up."

"Wait," she stared at him strangely,"What are you talking about?"

"Huh?" He asked and stared as if she had grown another head,"Aren't we talking about keeping a secret of you being retarded?"

Dawn stared silently for a while and then her face crooked up in irritation as she kicked him on his leg, getting a groan from him. He yelled,"What was that for." Satisfied, she turned and crossed her arms over her chest,"It was a reward for you acting like an idiot which you already are. I was talking about you keeping the case with Lyra a secret."

"How was I supposed to know!? You're have a terrible way to describe things," He yelled.

"If you weren't sure, you should have asked!"

"Now the fault is mine?"

"Of course it is!"

"Angry Bird!"

"Irritating Brat!"

"Trouble maker!"

"Hmmph!" Dawn stomped away angrily, making Ash roll his eyes as he chased after her. Once he had caught up, he grinned and asked,"So we are at the main gate. You're going to take a bus?"

"Are you still stalking me?" She said with a weird look on her face.

"No!" He deadpanned, with an insult at the tip of his tongue ready to be blurted out,"Everyone has to exit from some gate you know."

"Whatever."

"You didn't answer," Ash asked again,"Taking a bus?"

"No. My Mom is there, see," she pointed at a black BMW parked opposite to where they were standing. Dawn turned to Ash and said,"Thanks for showing me around. Hope you don't bother me again."

"What!" He gaped,"I don't even want to!"

He watched as she crossed the street in a hurry and got inside the car. His eyes were fixed on the woman sitting inside, who had deep blue eyes and short hair. Her posture was erect and it wasn't hard to guess that it was Dawn's Mother.

"I know this Lady," he spoke to himself and watched the car leaving,"She is Mom's boss, isn't she? And that means.."

He slowly scratched his neck as the morning conversation kept revolving in his head,"Mom wants me to stay away from Dawn? Doesn't she?"

.

"I guess you're enjoying this school," Johanna started, making Dawn look at her strangely. The younger one looked out of the window again,"Why do you ask Mom?"

"Its rare," Johanna patted her daughter's head,"I think you are a little happier."

"Thats not true," Dawn leaned on her mother's shoulder,"I don't want to create any bonds which will make me sad when I leave."

"You're not leaving," Johanna said, sighing,"Why do you keep saying you're?"

"I've already changed schools twice last year Mom," Dawn said, closing her eyes.

"I know," Johanna said, running her fingers though Dawn's hair,"By the way, why is your hair so messed up? I swear I saw you putting it in a pony this morning!"

"Oh!" Dawn giggled,"A boy proposed me today. His name was Troy or Taison or something falling. Yeah! It was Trip."

"And what did this falling something do to mess your hair, my Dear?" Johanna raised her eyebrows teasingly.

"I rejected him and his fangirls attacked me," Dawn said with a sigh and Johanna's smile faltered. Dawn shook her head to calm her mother down as she explained,"Don't worry, I am fine. They just pulled and messed my hair up. Its all so dirty now! I can't wait to get it cleaned and tidy!"

"They attacked you and you're worried about fixing your hair?" Johanna said sternly,"Care about yourself a little, will you?"

"Mom," Dawn giggled again,"Don't worry so much."

"They didn't do anything else, did they?" Her mother was concerned,"Are you hurt?''

"No," Dawn smiled softly,"A sweet girl named Lyra saved me."

"Is she your friend now?"

"I behaved rudely and shoved her away," Dawn said with a sigh,"I doubt whether she will even talk to me."

"You could have stopped yourself from shoving her you know," Johanna murmured as she massaged her forehead,"Why do you do that?"

"Mom..." Dawn whined as she placed her head on her Mom's shoulder,"You know how I am."

"And that scares me. You don't have to think about everyone. It's okay to be selfish sometimes."

"A boy helped me today too."

"Was he cute?"

Dawn blushed from the question and thought for a while before answering,"Seriously! That's the first thing you want to know? Anyways, he wasn't that cute or attractive. The way he came to my rescue was lame too and he looks so helpless sometimes but.."

Johanna waited for her daughter to continue,"But what?"

"He seems nice."

"Can I know his name?"

Dawn bolted and sat up, staring at her Mom with an open mouth. Johanna slapped her forehead,"You didn't ask for his name, did you?"

.

"When he saved me, I felt as if I could trust others again."

.

.

Gonna add a little cavalier in the first few chapters. But don't worry, its gonna be pearlshipping all the way! Pearlshipping for life!

The reason I took so long to update was:

"My college life isn't as colourful as I expected it to be." There are assignments, practicals, theories and did I mention practicals? Those are so tiring! And now I gotta write about 32 spot identification with diagrams. *Cries in a corner*

Anyways, I want to know how this chapter was! And hopefully, I will update sooner next time since college is closed for a month.

And I don' hate Iris XD

~ Darkestlightofhope