A/N: Hi-hi! I had so much fun writing this...okay, Zahiya is kind of based off of Ruthie Camden's friend Yasmin. And for those who don't know (Like me, before I watched one particular 7th Heaven episode) a hijab is a Muslim head covering.

Disclaimer: Kevin, you always let me have my way!--Lucy Camden

I don't own the 7th Heaven theme song.

HSM Heaven,

When I see their happy faces

Smiling back at me

HSM Heaven

I know there's no greater feeling

Than the love of a family

Where can you go

When the world won't treat you right

The answer is home

That's the one place that you'll find

HSM Heaven

Oooohhh

HSM Heaven

In the large living room of the Bolton house, Jake, Lilly, Beverley, and Chris scrambled for backpacks while their younger sister Vanessa watched. She started to laugh as Lilly and Beverley both tried to stick their arms into the straps of the same backpack. Soon every else was laughing along with the five-year-old.

Fifteen minutes later, everyone had their own backpack on and was headed out the door to the bus stop. Vanessa watched them from the living room window. Gabriella came out of the kitchen and wrapped her arm around her youngest's shoulders.

"Do you want to go to school too, Nessa?" Vanessa nodded, her eyes watery. Gabriella thought quickly to escape a full-scale crying episode.

"Sweetie, why don't you bring about six of your stuffed animals down and pretend they're your class, and you can be the teacher. That'll be fun!" Vanessa nodded slowly, her eyes slowly drying up.

"Okay!" She skipped up the stairs towards the room she shared with Chris and started pulling stuffed animals off her bed.

Gabriella walked back into the kitchen and put down the dish-towel she was still holding. Leaning onto the counter, she jumped when someone's arms wrapped around her waist.

"Troy Bolton! Don't scare me like that!" He started to tickle her as she laughed and gasped for breath. "You know—we still—have—a five-year-old—in the house!" Troy stopped tickling her and spun her around.

"We do?" he asked, mock-surprised. Gabriella nodded and gave him a clownish look.

"Yes, we do. And you should be at the church. Don't you have a counseling session today?" Troy nodded, his face drooping.

"I wish I could stay here with you," he said sadly. Gabriella smiled.

"Good for you. I do too. Now go. I'll still be here when you get home." They both started laughing as she pushed him out the door.

Meanwhile, at Albuquerque East Middle School, Beverley walked in to a school alone for the first time in her life. Glancing around, she decided to sit down on one of the benches surrounding the Pit in the middle of the entryway. As she sifted through the pile of books she'd brought, she heard someone call her name. Looking up, she heard it again.

"Beverley!" She noticed someone running towards her.

"Zahiya! Zahiya!" Beverley cried. She jumped up and hugged the other girl. "I missed you so much over the summer, mi amiga! What'd you do?"

Zahiya adjusted the hijab over her head as she answered. "We went to see my grandparents in Mecca. What did you do?" Beverley shook her head.

"Not much. We went to see my dad's parents in LA, but that's it. It's hard for seven people to go on really long trips. Especially with Vanessa. She's only five, and she's a handful." Zahiya laughed.

"I know what you mean. My parents are so happy that it's only me and A'isha. She's only seven, and can be a pain." Beverley nodded as she watched someone walk past them, looking much more comfortable that the two of them did.

"Look! There's Hannah Lewis. She's so cool!" Beverley gushed. Zahiya rolled her eyes.

"What's up with you? You didn't like her last year." Beverley cocked her head and considered this.

"Well, last year it wasn't so important to be popular." Zahiya shook her head.

"It's not important this year either." Beverley shrugged and looked back over at the other girl and her friends.

"I'm going to go talk to them," she said, getting up. Zahiya sighed.

"Good luck," she said, watching her best friend go talk to the most popular girl in school.

Around the same time, at East High, Lilly watched Jake pull a black sweatshirt out of his backpack and over his head. He walked over to a group of people who were also dressed all in black. He slipped off one of his wristbands and showed them what was underneath. Lilly felt a wave of nausea as she remembered what was there.

She leaned her forehead against the cool white bricks of the wall and waited for the feeling to pass. As she lifted her head from the wall, someone tapped her shoulder.

"Lilly? Are you okay?" She turned her head and caught a glimpse of one of her good friends, Jason Black. He and his twin sister Emily always ended up in a lot of Lilly's classes.

"Oh, hey, Jason. I'm fine. Where's Em?" A red-headed girl poked her head around the corner.

"Right here. Now tell us why you were leaning against a wall." Lilly giggled at the way Emily had said it. Gaining back her composure, she took a deep breath.

"Okay, I'll tell you. But you both have to swear to secrecy." They both nodded, and Lilly dropped her voice down to a whisper.

"Have either of you noticed that Jake always wears wristbands now?" They both nodded again. "Well…that's because there's scars on his wrists. He…he…" her voice broke as she tried to say the next word.

Emily's mouth dropped open and she gasped, "He cuts his wrists?" Lilly nodded, tears slowly streaking down her cheeks. "Have you told you parents?" This time Lilly shook her head.

"I don't know how." Just then the bell rang and Lilly wiped her eyes. "We've got to get to homeroom. We'll talk later."

To be continued…