On Monday at school, Kaidan was distracted by a pop quiz in Trig and being roped into set design for the spring musical. He was a pretty talented artist, or at least that's what people told him, and the drama club always asked him to work on design rather than act. That was okay, Kaidan thought, he wasn't much of an actor anyway, and he hated public speaking.

He was still thinking about the sets when he walked out of the school, mentally sketching some ideas to put to paper when he got home. When he looked up, he noticed Shepard was sitting on the half wall by the curb in front of the school waiting for him. Pfft, he thought. Who was he kidding? She was definitely not sitting there waiting for him.

But regardless of his doubts, she turned as he approached and greeted him with a smile.

"Alenko, wanna walk me home?" she asked.

He looked at her dumbstruck for a moment before realizing that Fredericks and his new girl - a different one from the previous week - was getting into his car just ten feet away. This was another pity move, and Kaidan wondered why this girl cared so much that she'd go out of her way to put on a show for students in a school she just started to attend. She was a decent actor though, he mused - looking at the genuine interest that seemed to glow from her face as she looked at him, perhaps he should suggest for her to try out for the musical.

Shepard hopped off of the wall and grabbed the few books that had been sitting next to her - no purse or backpack, he noticed - and stood staring at him expectantly. Finally, figuring he probably looked like an idiot standing there not saying anything, he took the hand she had offered him and they began walking. It felt almost normal, two people walking together as a couple hand-in-hand, but Kaidan was still completely confused about this strange girl and her charity and thought he should probably get around to talking to her about it at some point. No time like the present.

"So, uh, what brings you to Vancouver?" he asked her as casually as he could muster, keeping his eyes straight ahead and hoping his hands wouldn't begin to sweat.

"Typical army brat," she shrugged, he felt it by the way her hand pulled up slightly. "We move around a lot, my parents are separated, and I live with my dad. He just got stationed here - Jericho beach." she said, seemingly unaffacted by the topic or of her parents separation. Kaidan wasn't really sure how to respond to that.

"Oh, um, sorry to hear about that... your parents, I mean." he replied and was startled when she stopped walking. He finally looked at her, ready to apologize some more when she released his hand to hold hers up - telling him to stop.

"Look, Alenko, you seem like a nice kid and all and I'm sure you mean well but I don't need anybody's pity, okay?" she told him, not in a way that sounded like she was chiding him, but in a way that sounded like someone explaining tennyson to someone who didn't read poetry - just a lesson in how it was - and he found himself nodding along before he realized she'd misspoke.

"Kid?" he asked incredulously. "I'm older than you!"

The corner of her mouth turned up, a look he was getting so wonderfully used to, and she pivoted on her feet to face him fully, placing a hand on her hip.

"Is that so, Alenko?" she asked teasingly, her eyes holding his with provocation.

And then he wasn't sure. When he looked at her, he didn't see a 14 year old girl. She looked older - not necessarily her body, but her eyes shone with something like wisdom or worldliness, something that someone her age wouldn't possess. Something that Kaidan himself didn't possess.

"Uh, I just mean.." he stammered, looking down at his feet.

She took pity on him then, clasping her hand in his once again and continuing forward.

"I know, I'm only 14. But if it helps, I've travelled through most of Canada, a lot of the United States, and even some of Europe." she explained, falling casually back into their earlier pace - walking together like a couple that had been doing this daily. "Hell, I've been to 12 schools in the last 10 years."

Kaidan wondered how someone could possibly keep up a social life or even a normal family life while moving around so much. Well he guessed you couldn't, that's why her parents were separated. It must be lonely.

"Sometimes you meet friends that survive any distance, and with facetime and skype I'm never really lonely." she said, making him wonder if he'd spoken aloud or if she was just a mind reader. He glanced over and she was smiling at him, but her eyes were sad. "It can take a toll though, it can be difficult to motivate myself to meet new people because I figure I'll eventually leave anyway."

Her voice brightened a bit, "but the good news is because I overcompensate and try to read and take online tests between moves to keep up with school work, I've actually taken most freshman and sophomore classes already so your school is letting me take advanced science and math!"

He considered that for a moment, he and Tali had wondered why Shepard was a freshman in junior classes and now he knew why, but something about it was bugging him.

"So... if you have taken so many extra classes, why not skip a grade?" he asked her as they turned the corner just before his house. She looked thoughtful, as though she wasn't sure how to answer the question or maybe wasn't sure if she wanted to tell him the answer.

Finally she shrugged again, "Sometimes the credits from my other schools count, sometimes the online work counts, sometimes none of it counts. Regardless, your school would have let me enter in as a sophomore... but there was an... incident at my old school, and I was held back." she explained. "But what's your story? Tali says you are an artist?" she asked with barely a pause, making it clear that she didn't want to talk anymore about her 'incident' and it was time to change the subject. He made a mental note to ask Tali what else she'd said to the new girl later.

They were in front of his house now and without thinking he said "Well, I can show you some of my work, if you'd like - " he motioned to the house "this is my house, wanna come in?"

She tilted her head to the side and looked at him for a minute before shaking her head.

"I can't, not today, maybe some other time though." she said, smiling again.

Kaidan felt deflated, even though the invitation was a fluke and he was sure his mom would have had a heart attack if he walked in the house with a girl and a girl who was holding his hand no less. He nodded, and made an effort to look like he was very interested in the rock he was kicking around with his foot.

He sighed, "So - where's your house? You wanted me to walk you home?"

She shrugged again, "Nah - we're close enough," she said turning to walk away. "I'll see you in Bio tomorrow."

He flushed with anger suddenly and grabbed her wrist before she turned away completely. He wasn't holding it hard, but still released it immediately when she snapped her head back to look at him, frowning.

"Shepard, you don't need to pretend to be my damn girlfriend, okay? I don't need anybody's pity either." he spat at her, surprised at the venom in his own voice. He shoved his hands in his pockets and avoided her gaze.

She didn't move but also didn't say anything for a long time, so he carefully lifted his eyes to meet hers again. Her mouth was twisted in a scowl and he was about to apologize when she spoke.

"Sure thing, Alenko." she said - calmly, her voice not matching the look on her face, "whatever you want." And with that she turned and walked away, leaving Kaidan to stare after her stupidly.