Disclaimer: Hinton owns all.

Extra special thanks to our Beta, Hahukum Konn! I'm sure this chapter was a nightmare for you, HK. Apologies and thankies in advance!

xXx

Tabitha rested her head against the cool car window on the way to school. She was going to be late, thanks to her sister, who spent hours getting ready for school – okay, not hours, but that's what it felt like.

"I'm gonna be late, if Angela don't get out here," she told Tim.

"I'll drive fast." He replied, leaning on the steering wheel. Curly was beside him, and had fallen sleep. She was pretty sure that was all he did at school to.

"I want to get to school, not the city morgue," she muttered under her breath.

Angela walked out of the door, and down the driveway taking her sweet time. Tabitha cursed – mentally, of course – as her sister got into the car.

Tabitha said, "Could we go now? I have a test!" The car lurched forward.

"Big deal." Angela rolled her eyes. "What is it with you and tests?"

"That's kind of the point of school," she told her sister.

Angela opened her mouth and closed it again. Tabitha smiled in satisfaction; it wasn't often that she could shut her sister up.

Tim was driving up the block towards her school. "Let me out here."

"Why? Too embarrassed to be dropped off at your school?" Tim asked, ignoring the request and driving up to the front of the school. Angela and Tabitha had always walked to school, but after the 'clothes stunt' Angela pulled, Tim had demanded he take them.

Tabitha climbed out of the car, feeling a dozen eyes on her and the two pairs inside the Buick. Luckily it didn't take too long to spot her friend. Slamming the car door, she quickly ran up to her.

"Tim Shepard is your brother?" Susan asked, her copper colored eyebrows lifting up in surprise.

"Half-brother," Tabitha corrected.

"I've heard some awful things about him from my brother," Susan murmured, as she twirled a lose strand with her finger.

"Ain't your brother always drunk?" Tabitha shot back.

"Don't need to get so defensive," Susan replied. "And he's not always drunk. He just acts that way..."

"At least Tim is smarter than that."

"Yeah right," she heard her whisper, but decided to ignore it.

xXx

Tabitha sat at her desk chewing on her pen cap while the others were finishing the math test. She finished early and she was bored. A boy behind her kept kicking her chair and she wanted to bash his head in. His name was Will Johnson. Sadly he was in her English class as well. The one class she loved, and he had to be in it.

She growled, "Could you please stop that?"

"What if I don't?"

"I'll - I'll..."

"You'll what?" Will snickered.

"Jerk," she muttered, cursing herself for her lack of a backbone.

She wondered what would happen if she played the 'my brothers are Tim and Curly Shepard' card. Would it get her less flack? She shook her head. She didn't want to pull out the Shepard card; she could handle herself on her own.

"Teacher's pet," she heard him shoot back.

Tabitha bit back the retort 'low life' even though it was on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to jab her pen in his eye. That was how annoying he was, and she didn't understand it either. She'd never done one thing to him but everyday he would find a way to annoy her.

When the bell rang Tabitha didn't hesitate; grabbing up her books, she ran out the door.

She was glad it was lunch, and after that was Science which was the last class of the day. Susan was sitting down at their table. Weaving through the hungry students and filthy tables, Tabitha reached where Susan was sitting. Pulling out the chair opposite her, she slid in and opened her lunch sack.

"So, what are we doing this weekend?" Susan asked, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"We could go to see a movie," Tabitha suggested.

"That's dull. Hey, have you heard of a place called Buck's?"

"Yeah, I've heard a few things."

"It's a bad place, right?"

"I don't know, my sister always seems happy when she comes home from there," Tabitha told her, taking a sip from her carton of milk. Not to mention her brothers always seemed to spend their time there.

"My brother goes there a lot," Susan said. "I wonder what happens there."

"We should see for ourselves," Tabitha suggested.

"Yeah right," Susan laughed. "I don't think they let many twelve year olds into that place."

"I guess you're right," Tabitha said, just as the bell rang. The girls gathered their books and shuffled through the crowded halls to Science class. Tabitha inwardly groaned when she saw Will standing near the doorway, talking to a few of the other jerks he hung around with.

"What's wrong?" Susan asked. As they walked through the door, Will elbowed Tabitha hard. She stumbled and fell onto Susan.

"Ow!" Susan complained and rubbed her arm and looked at Tabitha for an explanation.

"That's what's wrong, he's been picking on me all day," she complained, sitting on a stool.

"Maybe he likes you," Susan suggested, sitting down next to her.

"Yeah right," Tabitha said. "This isn't first grade."

She rolled her eyes and looked out the window. Boys just didn't pay attention to her, especially when she was around Angel. Besides she wasn't even into boys yet, especially boys that went to her school. Middle school boys were immature and very annoying. Unlike Bryon Douglas; he wasn't a boy, he was a man… a man with a car. She rested her chin in her hand.

"I will now be assigning lab partners for the second semester so pay attention when I call your name," Mrs. Norris announced breaking Tabitha out of her daydream.

"When I call your names you will move next to your partners…Tabitha Davis, your lab partner will be William Johnson."

Tabitha's face crumpled and she resisted the urge to bang her head against the table. Will Johnson was not worth going to a hospital over. She glanced over at the empty seat next to him and frowned. Susan gave her a sad smile and looked over at Will.

Guess I'm the one changing seats, Tabitha thought.

She walked to the back of the classroom and wanted to smack the smug smile off of his face. She placed her books on the desk and carefully sat on the stool and cleared her throat.

"Look, since we have to work together we should at least try and get along," she said trying to be the peace maker.

"Sure, whatever," he replied, and she turned away trying not to look so irritated. She found herself doing all the work for the rest of the class while he stared at her or doodled in his notebook. Writing down the answers in her notebook she snapped it shut.

"Can I copy the answers?" Will asked, reaching for her book.

"No." She snatched it out of his reach and stuffed it into her bag, as the bell rang. "You should have helped."

"But-" Will tried to argue, but Tabitha pushed passed him and out of the door. Walking out of the school, she frowned. Neither Angela nor Tim's car was in sight. She crossed her arms across her chest in a huff.

"Hey , Tabitha ." She heard Will call her. She decided to ignore him . He was just trying to get under skin . She learned this from Curly if you ignore them long enough they'll get board with torturing you and leave you alone.

"Wh- ?" She asked . She was taking off guard when he pulled her in his arms and kissed her. She was momentarily distracted when she felt his tongue touch her lips, startled she pushed him away.

"What the fuck!" She heard someone curse. A a dark figure slammed into Will, pounding him hard. It was Curly.

"Curly!" She yelled, but he ignored her. She winced as Curly's fist smashed into Will. "Stop it!" Curly scowled and turned to Tabitha. That was when Will's fist collided with Curly's face. Tabitha jumped out of the way. Curly roared in rage, as Will ran off down the street. Tabitha watched as he dissapeared around a corner.

"What the hell was that?" Curly asked her, touching his bleeding lip. "Ain't you too young for that shit."

"He kissed me," Tabitha said.

"Yeah, well don't let it happen again," Curly snarled.

xXx

Tabitha walked into her room with a frown on her face. She looked over at her sister, who was doing her nails. She sat on her own bed and sighed loudly. Angela raised her brow but continued to work on her nails, like Tabitha wasn't really there. She sighed again and moved over to sit on Angela's bed . Angela rolled her eyes. Putting the bottle of nail polish on the bedside table, she then crossed her arms across her chest and stared at her sister.

"What?"

"A boy kissed me today," she gushed and felt a smile creeping across her face.

"Really?" Shock was displayed all over Angela's face. "Who'd want to kiss you?"

Tabitha's face fell. Embellishing a bit, she said,"A boy, all the girls like him."

"Uh huh."

Tabitha bit her lip. "He bothered me all day and then he kissed me. Did a boy ever do that to you?"

"Honey, boys wanna do more than that with me."

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, eyeing her sister. Angela always had to make everything about her.

Angela just smiled.

Tabitha felt her face get hot as realization hit her face and she was sure she was blushing. "You mean more than kissing? Don't you have to be married to do that?"

"You bore me," Angela rolled her eyes, and picked the bottle of screaming red polish, to continue what she had been doing earlier. "Oh, and you don't have to be married to do anything."

Doesn't her sister pay attention in church? You're supposed to save your virginity for your husband. Maybe she needed to pray for her sister as well. She decided to change the subject back to Will Johnson.

"So, do you think he might like me?" She asked. She hoped he did and she hardly ever got to speak to Angela like normal sisters do. The door to their bedroom opened and Curly walked in sporting a fat lip.

"What fuck you happened to you?" Angela asked. "You try makin' out with a bumblebee or something?"

"No, some fucking punk was getting a little too up close and personal with Tabitha," he sneered.

"You an' Tim gotta lay off the protective big brother gig," Angela said.

"Yeah, an' have boys think they can get touchy with y'all? I don't think so."

Tabitha rolled her eyes, "It was just a kiss, plus I've seen Angela and Bryon do more stuff than that."

"Liar," Angela hissed. "You ain't seen anything."

"Trust me, It ain't like I enjoyed watching it or anything. It was disgusting."

"Don't expect me to do shit like that everyday," Curly said, fiddling with his collar.

"Okay."

"Good."

"You little- Curly what are doing?" Angela shrieked. Curly had crossed the room, and moved over to Angela's dresser. Opening the drawers he rustled through all the garbage that Angela had managed to fit in there.

"I'm looking for that silver bracelet, the one Tim got you for Christmas."

"What the fuck do you want that for?"

"I wanna give it to Laurie."

"It's mine!"

"Yeah, well you never wear it," Curly frowned, rubbing his ear. "Christ, you scream like a banshee."

"Why don't you buy her something?" Tabitha suggested.

"I don't have any fucking money."

"It's called working, you might want to try it sometime," Angela snapped slapping Curly's hand when he tried looking in her bedside drawer.

Tabitha bit her lip and made sure her siblings weren't looking when she pulled out five dollars her mom gave her to go the movies this weekend. She just wanted Curly out of her room and she felt guilty for being nasty to Laurie the last time she was here.

"Here," Tabitha said to Curly and handed him the five dollar bill.

"You're giving me money?" Curly questioned but took it anyway. "Why?"

"Because I like Laurie. She's nice and if she breaks up with you that means you'll be home a lot more," she explained, sitting back down on her bed.

Curly and Angela alike stared confused at their younger sister. Tabitha blushed. She could understand why they were staring at her. They were constantly awful to her, and here she was giving Curly money,

She shifted awkwardly under their stares. "Just trying to do something nice."

"Well, five bucks ain't gonna get me anywhere," Curly drawled.

"Get out of here you greedy shit," Angela snapped, throwing her nail file at his head.

"Hey- Ow! Alright," Curly cursed, shielding himself with his arms and walking out the door.

"Cheap hags!"

"Jerk! That's the last time I do anything nice," Tabitha swore and pulled out her math textbook.

xXx