School started again and even though I'm barely in high school, I'm overloaded with things to do. I think it's simply the fact that I'm overloading myself with honors classes and whatnot, but whatever.

I'm sorry for the wait. I spent the time I should be using to study for finals writing this... and I definitely would not have been able to post this chapter if I didn't have this many people reading it. I really appreciate you guys taking the time to read and review. It means a lot, so thanks. (:

Confrontations

- Jasper -

Piper walked through the halls, clenching her fingers together into a fist.

The girls were making fun of her again; it was just because of her Cherokee heritage. As a young girl, she used to be proud of her Cherokee background and her brave ancestors, but now, she couldn't help but feel ashamed and miserable.

Her father was ignoring her again, not picking up anything even when he knew when she would call-it was the same time every day.

She had no friends here, other than Leo. He didn't care what anyone thought; he just had an I-don't-really-care attitude. Sometimes, she envied the way Leo was able to ignore all those comments about him. They were not close, but he was the only person she could talk to.

However, that was before Jason came. He recently arrived. Little was known about him as he was introduced to the class. He was simply a blond boy with bright blue eyes, but he was really special to her in many ways. She knew that it was a case of love at first sight the first time she saw him, even though she never truly got the concept of love at first sight prior to meeting him.

Jason became the sunlight that brightened up her day. He had a way of making her smile without even trying and made her look forward to her time with him. Even so, she couldn't help but wonder why such a perfect boy (like Jason) would be stuck in a school like this-fulled with troubled kids. Then again, she didn't understand why she was there either. Maybe he was neglected by his family as she was, she considered.

He was the only person she felt comfortable around and she found herself falling for him harder than she thought was logically possible.

She remained in her seat, strumming her fingers against her desk. Leo was in the middle of ranting to her about his latest prank that he pulled on a teacher. She wasn't paying any attention, although in her defense, she tried. She just nodded and listened in at parts, but the story did not interest her.

Her attention went back to thinking about her father and what else she could do to capture his attention. The bell rang through the halls and echoed across the classroom walls, silencing the majority of the students. For some, it took an extra scolding from the teacher to obtain complete silence. She heard her teacher announce something to the class, but it was unheard due to the loud whispers around her. She sighed. In the back of the room, it was really hard to pick up anything, but it's not like it was important anyways. She made a note to ask Leo about it later.

Her eyes drifted towards the open window illuminating the classroom and she sighed. Her troubles with her father suddenly came back to her, wishing there was a way for her father to pay attention to her... the way he used to.

Around her, squeals were heard from girls and excited glances were shared between one another. Rolling her eyes, she let out a rather loud exhale. Girls these days, she thought.

However, when she glanced towards the front of the room, she was forced to eat her words.

It took her a while to realize that there was a new student standing in front of the room. She was too busy checking him out; she was never one to do so, but he was truly something. It was rather strange to her, staring at a boy like this. However, she knew she couldn't stop.

Inquired by the teacher, he looked unfazed as he answered her questions flawlessly. Although Piper was not paying any attention to what he was saying, as many others were as well, she managed to learn his name: Jason. It was just a beautiful name for such a beautiful boy.

Her teacher pointed towards a seat near Leo and the two engaged in a quick conversation. Suddenly feeling envious of Leo, she made a note to ask Leo to introduce her to Jason.

She saw him smile pleasantly towards Leo's direction, and she thought she'd never seen something as wonderful as his smile. She felt her own lips tug upward in response, as if he had directed that smile towards her.

"Oy, Piper!" Leo called out to her.

She turned around, trying not to stare at the new guy, but she couldn't. She saw him observe her quickly, smiling at her slightly. Melting in her spot, it took her a while to regain her composure. "Eh? Who's he?" she questioned, faking her earlier actions towards him.

"Apparently, he's new here. I don't know where he's from through," Leo replied as if Jason was not beside him.

"Jason," Leo turned toward the said boy, "this is Piper. Piper, this is Jason."

He stuck out his hand and gave her a curious look. "Nice to meet you, Piper. My name's Jason."

Piper was never one to believe in love at first sight, but this was before she met Jason. Grinning like an idiot, her hand swung forward immediately to grasp his hand in hers. She gave him a smile response, for she could not make out more than just a few words at a time, "Hi Jason. I'm Piper."

Oh hey, I have a question for you guys. How long should I continue this fanfic?

Anyways, I finally figured out why I've been writing so many depressing and angst-y stories. I'm suddenly really angry at the people at my school... and a couple people in particular. I've been writing these depressing and sorrowful stories that are making me cry...

If this continues, I'm going to kill off a character by the final chapter...

On a happier note, read, review, rinse, and repeat (or at least, I think that's how it goes). xD

Lily.