A/N: Sorry for the long wait! Hope you like the chapter.


March 26th, 2013: Tuesday

Tubman Middle/High School; 8:30 a.m.

Jake had kept his promise of taking care of Amy's missed schoolwork while she rested at Sal's. He was able to get her schedule printed out thanks to one of the teachers there, Scully. Scully was more than happy to do it once Jake exchanged his lunch from Sal in return for Scully's sandwich. The sandwich wasn't too terrible.

He then had to run to each one of Amy's classes after his own to get the notes and homework from the teachers before they left. There were sweat stains under Jake's sleeves when he returned to Sal's at 3 p.m.

Once Amy received her schoolwork, she huddled herself into a corner under the light of a dusty desk lamp and worked to complete it throughout the late afternoon until the night while everyone else had fallen asleep. It was peacefully quiet except for the moments when she would gnaw on her pencil as she repeatedly read over her algebra equations. There were also the moments when the Vulture would interrupt the silence with drunken yells at his television every few minutes.

If there was one thing that Amy was skilled at, it was schoolwork. She took pride in her intelligence and impressing her teachers with her eagerness to learn. Whenever she would come to a new school, she would try to catch up to her classes and stay at least five steps ahead of her fellow classmates. The homework was only mildly difficult in her standards considering that some of the subjects, like math, were familiar due to her previous courses. By 1 a.m. Amy had finally staggered to the comforter, physically and mentally exhausted.

Twenty four hours later from the "incident", she was looking up once more at the brick wall structure in front of her. Its elongated vines were still stretched down from the roof to the walls. The stone gargoyle ornaments, creepy as ever, sat on their stoops on the roof.

"Welp, there it is once again." Jake commented. "The bringer of all death and destruction to kids across the country."

"You don't have to do this if you want to." Jake said, double checking on her status. He noticed how sluggish she was earlier from the way she could barely keep her eyes awake after shutting off her alarm.

Amy adjusted her glasses on her nose then gripped onto the books in her arms.

"I'm ready." she simply said. She was absolutely sure about this more than anything, despite the droopiness in her eyes and the yawns bubbling inside her chest.

"Okay then, but if something like yesterday happens again, you can tell me." Amy nodded and mustered a smile.

Jake grinned as well, offering his hand to Amy. Amy looked at the offered hand for a few seconds, then slowly grasped her hand in Jake's and followed his lead. Most of the crowds have subsided so the duo slipped in with ease. As they entered past the front doors, Amy looked around the vast hallway at what she saw. Kids were bustling around the hallway while they endlessly chatted with their friends as they were walking to their classrooms. The walls were vividly decorated with banners of upcoming games and flyers promoting the school clubs. Her feelings of fatigue were temporarily forgotten by the energy of the other kids.

"It's amazing." Amy uttered in awe.

Jake shrugged. "It's nothing special. Just wait until you meet the new principal. He's a real pain in the ass about, eh, pretty much everything."

"But now to give you the grand tour of the place!" Jake exclaimed loudly as he guided Amy through the hall with their hands still clasped together.

"You got your band geeks, your chemistry club, newspaper staff, student government, dance team — Gina actually has a recital with her dance team in a couple of weeks so look out for that." Jake listed off.

"I joined the basketball team myself but I got kicked out. Apparently I needed to start "showing up on time" and "cooperate with others." Jake mocked. "I mean phssh! Who needs them? Can you believe that?"

"They don't know what they're missing out on." Amy answered, curious about this incident. She made a mental note to herself to learn more about Jake later.

"Exactly! And speaking of the robot himself…"

Amy's gaze followed Jake's and she saw him: the principal. She straightened her posture quickly and combed any stray hairs on her head as she saw the principal approaching them. He was a middle aged, man of medium stature with umber skin. He was formally dressed in a crisp navy suit and matching pants with a black tie adjusted in the middle of his chest. The principal closed the distance between them.

"Jake. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Holt greeted in a low register tone.

"I was just showing a new kid around the place."

Holt turned to Amy.

"My sincere apologies. You must be the new student that I read about." He lowered himself downwards so that he was at eye level with Amy and held out a hand. "I'm Raymond Holt, the principal of this school. You may address me as Principal Holt or sir."

"Amy." she introduced. She firmly gripped Holt's hand and shook it. "It's an honor to meet such a powerful, distinguished, and well dressed person as yourself, sir." She winced slightly at her last few words.

"Yes, I find suits are rather appropriate, seeing as I do run this facility." he released Amy's hand. "If there are no further questions, I must attend to the morning announcements."

Before Holt took a step, Amy raised her hand as if she was already in class, a question forming in her mind.

"Yes, Amy?" Holt asked.

"I was wondering sir, if you don't mind, telling me why this school starts at 9 o'clock? It's just that the schools that I've gone to start earlier than that and I was just curious about it…" she trailed off as Holt gave looked at her rather stoically. She wondered if this was how he usually looked at others.

"I'd be more than happy to answer." Holt responded. "You see, Amy, I have read reports that concluded later school times are actually beneficial to children. Students who began school at later times were more alert in class and were able to retain more information. As a result, high grades were achieved. My job as principal is to not only create the most optimum learning environment in this city, but an environment where students will work their hardest because they are able to. Does that answer your question?"

Amy was awestruck, left speechless for words. She was impressed with not only Holt's strength and articulation but his dedication to his school and children as well. She felt Jake nudge her arm. Had she been staring for too long?

"Y-yes, sir." she finally stuttered out. The warning bell rang.

"You should go to class now, Amy. I wish you the best of luck and I hope that you benefit from this school. Feel free to come to my office at any time should you encounter any issues."

He turned to Jake. "Jake, I will see you shortly this afternoon."

He gave her and Jake a solemn nod and left for his office.

"Wow." Amy whispered in awe as she watched Holt walk away. She hoped to become someone as confident and inspiring as Holt one day.


Tubman Middle/High School — Library; 2:50 p.m.

Amy sighed wearily halfheartedly read through her book. She was leaning her head against her arm, barely paying attention to the plot of the story. The library was quiet except for the hum of the fluorescent lights above her.

In every school she attended she always sought for refuge in empty rooms of the school. Sometimes it was an empty classroom. Other times it was an art studio. She was especially grateful if the school she was currently attending had a library. Occasionally she would read any of the musty literature available and happily help the librarian with tasks like logging in returned books or alphabetically cataloging the books. Libraries were a safe haven to her. They provided the comfort and the distractions needed whenever she was having a bad day.

But not even the joys of reading a crisp printed book could distract her from her first day at the new school.

After Jake dropped her off at her math class, Amy sat down in the front of the classroom with her supplies taken out and hands folded neatly on top of the desk. There was a dazed off gleam in her eyes — she was still over the moon after her encounter with Principal Holt. Nothing was going to bring her down. That is until she saw something a few seats across: a boy with dirty blond hair chuckling with his friends. The boy caught Amy's gaze and patted one of his friend's arms.

"Look at the new girl in class."

"I saw ditch school yesterday with someone — the dude with the bushy hair. I think she's living with him and his other weird friends."

As the math class began and continued, Amy was met with only dirty looks and eye-rolls from that certain group of boys whenever she would raise her hand with a question. Unfortunately incidents like that only continued as those three boys shared the next few classes with her. "Nerd", "ugly", and "teacher's pet" were hissed towards her every single moment the teacher turned away from the class. There were a few instances when the back of her head was pelted with paper balls and airplanes. For the most part, those comments fell silent to her ears.

Then there was History class just before her free period. The class had to organize into groups on a assignment regarding World War I. While the kids separated to their own cliques, Amy was left all alone and ignored. The teacher, Ms. Kaine, felt sympathetic towards her and had let Amy work with her for the rest of the class session. Amy felt, if only, slightly better working with the teacher and getting attention from her. Again she heard the hushed whispers of other students as they glared at her with contempt.

"Hunter told me that she's another one of those homeless kids."

"You mean she lives with them?"

"Her parents probably ditched her for drugs. I mean, look at that face. "

"I heard that they all have to sleep in a bathtub together. With rats."

"Gross."

"Shut up! She's looking this way."

The words did sting, but only with minimal effect. They probably expected her to burst into tears right there from their snide comments and the humiliation. But she didn't. That was what those bullies wanted, what people like them always wanted. She wasn't going to give them that satisfaction. Foster parents, schools, and mean kids were no different no matter where she went. They all blended together in swirls and blurred in her mind. If anything, those past experiences have only prepared her for what's next and numbed her to the pain.

The library door creaked open suddenly, making Amy jump a bit from surprise. Her attention from the book now turned to Rosa who had just entered the room. She was clad in all black from her leather jacket down to her torn up, dirt ridden sneakers.

"Rosa?" Amy asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Book report." Rosa replied curtly as she searched through the shelves until she found the books she needed. Amy couldn't help but curiously watch Rosa as she hefted the books up against her shoulder easily and handed them to the librarian to be checked out.

"What?" Rosa gruffed, noticing Amy's gaze on her.

"Nothing!" said Amy, alarmed that she was caught staring at her. She ducked her head into her book, Kristy's Big Idea, her cheeks beginning to burn. Amy's eyes inched up slightly from her book, watching Rosa walk towards the door.

Amy likes to consider herself a tough person. She wasn't a coward by no means and was capable of handling herself. She likes to compare herself to a quartz. It was a mineral that's not too soft or not too tough — just right in the middle. But if she was a quartz, then Rosa was a diamond. Rosa seemed to glisten and outshine on her own, making Amy look like a shiny penny in comparison. Rosa radiated fear and awe amongst her peers. No one dared messed with her.

Amy wanted to open her mouth and speak to Rosa, despite some nauseating fear of being physically harmed. However, she also knew the choice she made in the beginning: to stay distant and to not make any long lasting friendships. Realistically, these connections are fragile at best. Yet now and then there was the slightest yearning for a friend, especially now. It would be nice to have a person her age to talk to about her day with and to comfort her when things go wrong. It couldn't hurt to try, just this once, right?

Just before Rosa stepped out the door, she paused. Rosa stood by the doorway for several seconds and seemed to contemplate something. Rosa then heaved a sigh, as if she was regretting her next decision. She turned around and closed the door behind her.

"Don't you have class or something right now?"

"This is my free period."

"And you're spending it in some old, stuffy library?" Rosa crossed her arms. Amy's head poked out of the book.

"There's a perfectly good reason for that."

"Spit it out already. I haven't got all day."

"I just…I needed a quiet place to myself for a while. Today was just very overwhelming."

"I guess I get that." Rosa shrugged. "I lose brain cells every minute that I'm in class with the douchebags in this school."

"I know, right? The kids here are terrible." Amy nodded in agreement, seeing an opening for herself. "Like today-"

"I didn't say to tell me your entire life story."

Amy closed her mouth, looking down at the ground awkwardly. "Right. Sorry."

Rosa looked down at the books in her hand. "Ugh, school is the worst."

"Well, I wouldn't necessarily agree with that. A good education can go a long way in life."

Rosa chuckled humorlessly. "Please. It's not like it's going to matter in the end."

Amy scrunched her face in confusion. "What do you- Of course it matters. How are we supposed to become successful in the future if we don't go to college and get a degree?"

Rosa scoffed. "College? Degree? How are you supposed to go to college if you don't graduate high school?"

"It could happen if we work hard enough."

"Exactly. 'It could.' Maybe you've forgotten what we are, so I'll spell it out for you." Rosa took a step closer to Amy. "We're foster kids. We rot in the system, become messed up adults, and get thrown out into the streets when we get too old."

"And that's it? You're just going to accept that?"

"Haven't you?"

The final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Before Amy had a chance to respond, Rosa was already gone.

How is it that people were able to form friendships with others so easily but she struggles to connect with one person?

Amy scooped up her belongings on the table and chased after Rosa. A mass of crowds had already formed in the halls as the kids rushed to get home. Amy peered through the crowds and spotted Rosa walking through the sea of kids.

"Rosa." Amy called out. Her call went ignored as Rosa continued to walk towards the exit. Amy wanted to chase after her but tensed up by crowds in the main hallway surrounding the exit. She squirmed uncomfortably in the space that she stood in — trapped between the front doors of the library and the crowds of people pushing each other. Amy could almost feel it happening again; she could feel herself standing on nauseating merry-go-round once more. She was so distracted from preventing herself from having another panic attack that she didn't see the person sneaking up behind her and stealing her books.

The mean boy with the dirty blond hair, Hunter, stood before Amy, a good few inches taller than her.

"Well, what do you know? She's both blind and short." the boy sneered as he held Amy's books hostage.

"Give them back!" Amy jumped up to reach her books. Hunter only lifted them up higher.

"Sure I will. For a kiss." he turned his cheek towards Amy and pointed at it.

"No."

"Then what are you going to do about it, short stack?"

He shoved Amy to the ground and snickered when she fell. After every frustrating thing that happened today, she couldn't take it. Amy stood up and brushed the dust off herself. Her foot stomped down on Hunter's foot hard. The boy yowled in such agony that some of the commotion in the hallways stopped to watch.

"Why are you being so mean to me, you jerk?" she exploded. "Just leave me alone."

"You're going to pay for that." said Hunter, no longer teasing.

"I'm not afraid of you."

"You should be." Hunter took a step forward, ready to lunge and tackle himself towards Amy. Until he felt the harsh tug on his shirt collar pulling him back. Hunter's back slammed against a row of lockers. Two hands grasped the front of his shirt and lifted him a couple of inches into the air. Rosa stood in front of him, her fists clutching the lapels of his shirt and sparks of red embers burning in her eyes.

"She said to leave her alone." Rosa growled.

"This is none of your business."

"Guess what? You just made it my business." Hunter tried to push off Rosa's fists but was only pushed back against the lockers.

"I'm only going to say this once. If I see you or any of your friends making fun of the new girl, hell even so much as look at her, I will personally beat your sorry butthead into a pulp. Got it?"

"Like I'm going to be scared of you, lezbo."

Rosa inched closer to the boy nose to nose, silently glaring at him. Then just as easily as she lifted him, she dropped him on the ground. Her lips curled into a twisted smile.

"Alright then."

Rosa threw her first punch at Hunter, landing it straight at his eye. The kids surrounding the two of them groaned.

"You actually punched me!" Hunter yelled in disbelief, cradling his injury. Rosa cracked her knuckles.

"You want some more?"

"Enough!" a voice boomed. The crowd parted and everyone turned around to see Principal Holt standing in disapproval, his arms crossed in front of his chest. He stepped in front of Rosa and Hunter unimpressed. Amy bit her nails in apprehension, watching Holt quietly look down upon the two kids.

"Hunter, Rosa, with me." Hunter hurriedly stood right beside Principal Holt. "Rosa."

"Give me a sec'."

"Now."

Rosa rolled her eyes. She picked up the books off the ground and offered them to Amy. Amy hesitantly took the books back.

"Um, thank you."

"Tell the others I'll be back late again."

"S-Sure."

Rosa tucked her hands into her jacket and casually walked off with Principal Holt. Amy stood there in stunned silence at what just occurred. She couldn't understand if Rosa was angry at her or something else. But she was grateful that she showed up when she did.