I'm baaaaack! And I'm very happy! I realized today that someone favorited This story! I was soooo happy! I'm going to stop acting like a dork now. Thank you to all the people who have been reading and reviewing! Note: Nathalorial I didn't even realize where I got the divider thing from until you pointed it out and after I read your story. -_-; Sorry for stealing it.

Disclaimer: ...Huh, oh. Sorry for spacing out, I was just thinking about how I don't own Freakazoid.

.:DIVIDER:.

That afternoon Dexter and I wandered around the mall. As we walk and shopped (Okay, so I was the only one shopping, but those black leather fingerless gloves were just calling my name) I told Dexter about my dreams, the one about how we met and of the shadowy figure who I believed to be my father.

"I've never heard that story. Are you sure that it was a memory of your father?" he asked.

I sighed, staring up at the ceiling, "I'm positive. It's just this feeling I have. I wonder why they only started resurfacing now?"

"Maybe it's because you're back in Washington." he suggested.

"Maybe." I said dazed, staring ahead of me blankly as I thought about it.

"You seem distracted. Is something wrong?"

"No, I'm fine. Just tired." Snapping out of my daze I turned back to Dexter, "By the way, you're friends with Freakazoid, right?" His eyes went wide and his mouth fell open. It was almost comical. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. I was just surprised is all."

He laughed nervously, "It's not exactly something that comes up in a normal conversation."

I waved off his comment, giving him a small smile, "S'okay. I understand why you wouldn't bring it up." I reached out and took his hand in mine, an unusual thing for me to do. "I just want to let you know, you can tell me anything."

I saw his eyes widen before he turned his head away from me almost guiltily. "Yeah, I know."

I tilted my head, worried, as he withdrew his hand from mine. Dexter then turned to look in front of us, silently.

I narrowed my eyes at the action. "What was that about?"

"Char?"

I blink as I realized that Dexter was calling my name. "Must have spaced out. I've been doing that a lot lately, I wonder if it's normal."

"You've been distracted a lot lately. Are you sure you're okay?" His concern dripped from his sentence.

"Yeah, I'm sure." I responded automatically.

Suddenly, something I saw in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I froze and my eyes went wide when I saw it, a big stupid grin spreading our my face. Dexter noticed I stopped and backtracked to where I was. He sighed as he read the big bold red letters above the store.

"Hot Topic, Charlotte?"

I nodded excitedly, "YES! Only awesome people shop at Hot Topic!"

"Like you?" he asked with an amused look.

"Exactly, just like me. That's why Will doesn't shop here, 'cause he's boring and not awesome like me."

"You mean because he acts like he's British?"

"Precisely! Anyway, wait out here for me. I won't take long, I promise." Without waiting for a response I ran into the dark store.

After picking out red, neon green, and black nail polish, along with several other things, I walked to the counter to pay. It was after I bought my items that I heard voices coming outside the store.

"Dexter?" I heard a female voice ask, sounding surprised.

"Oh, hi Steff, Jill, Valerie." he responded nervously.

"Odd. I didn't think Dexter had any other female friends." I decided to remain hidden in the store and listen in on the conversation.

"What are you doing here, rodent? Shouldn't you be holed up in your room on your stupid computer? " came a snobbish female voice.

"Okay, maybe they're not friends."

"I'm hanging out with my friend. She just went into the store for a minute."

"HA! As if you could get a date with any girl!" the same snobbish female exclaimed.

I felt my right eye twitch, a reflex that only happened when I was angry. "She's really starting to piss me off."

"Hey, it's the truth!" he yelled indignantly.

"Ya really shouldn't lie."said another female with an accent that I couldn't place.

"It's true! She just moved back to Washington!"

"Then where is she?" the snobbish girl demanded.

"I think it's time I made my appearance." I exited the store, smiling, black Hot Topic bag on my arm. "Sorry I took so long. You would not believe how long the line was."

He smiled at me, "No problem."

I saw the girl's Dexter had been talking to. A blond whose hair was tied in a pony tail and blue eyes, a girl with tanned skin, short brown hair and brown eyes, and a girl with long black hair and brown eyes. I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing at their shocked expressions.

"So Dexter, who are your friends?" I asked in a sickeningly sweet voice.

He pointed at the blond, "This is Steff," then at the brunette, "This is Jill," and finally the raven haired girl, "And this is Valerie."

I smile sweetly at the girls, "It's a pleasure to meet you! My name is Charlotte Hightopp." Of course I was lying through my teeth. I didn't know these girls and to be perfectly honest, I didn't want to. They had already pissed me off by saying those things to Dexter. It was obvious that they were all shallow. "I'll play nice for now, but if they push me I'll tell them exactly what I think of them."

The girls weakly return my greeting, still in shock. "Will you be joining us in our shopping?"

"Um, sure." Steff answered quietly. We started walking again, the three girls following now. "So, Charlotte, how do you know Dexter?" She asked.

"We were friends back in kinder garden. Due to some issues I had to move, but we kept in touch through email and letters. I'm back to stay now though."

"Just how long have ya been back?" Jill questioned.

"Four days now."

"Weren't you that girl who was involved in that Cobra Queen incident at Midnight Cafe?" the snob asked.

I nodded, "Yup, that was me."

"So you met Freakazoid?"

I laughed at Steff's mention of the blue skinned man. "Oh, I've met him. He's quite the character." I turned to look at the blond to gauge her reaction to my next sentence. "He's also very handsome."

"Hey! He's my boyfriend!"

I resisted the urge to smirk as my suspicions were confirmed. The look in her eyes, the tone of her voice. Freakazoid wasn't her boyfriend, he was her trophy. That much was obvious. "Looks like little miss goody-goody two shoes is really two faced bitch. I thought as much."

I smiled, "I meant no harm. I'm sorry if I offended you." Inside I was thinking the opposite. "Of course I can be a two faced bitch, too. The only difference is that I'm better at it."

Steff smiled too, accepting my apology. "Stupid girl."

And then the girls stopped in front of a store. The store would be most girls' dream, but it was my nightmare. It was a dress store.

I HATE dresses.

"C'mon, Charlotte. Let's go in."

I almost screamed when Steff dragged me into the store with the other two girls. My eyes wide with horror I shot Dexter a silent "Save me!" The only thing he did was laugh.

"Curse you, you bastard! I'll remember this! I swear it!"

.:DIVIDER:.

"Someone shoot me." Why three girls I had only just met were trying to get me to try on dress,I would never know. "I am NOT a living Barbie doll!"

"Having fun?" Dexter had the nerve to ask.

I sent him a glare that, had it been directed at anyone else, would have made them cower in fear. However, since Dexter knew that I would never intentionally hurt him, he only smiled. "Shut. Up." I hissed quietly so the others wouldn't hear. He knew how much I had come to loathe dresses.

"If I bought you a soda would you cheer up?"

"...Maybe..."

He chuckled when I pouted, "I'll be back, then."

"Finally, I thought he'd never leave!" Valerie said snidely once Dexter was out of sight.

I felt my eye twitch again. "This bitch is asking for it."

"So, did he bribe you or something?"

"What do you mean?" I asked carefully, trying not to look or sound as furious as I felt.

"I mean, why do you hang out with that loser?"

"He doesn't talk to anyone and spends all his time on his computer. It's creepy." Jill added.

"You know, you don't have to be his friend because you feel bad for him." Steff spoke up, angering me further.

I dropped my gaze to the floor, shoulders shaking in my rage, my eyes burning.

I knew that Dexter said that he didn't have any friends, but he never mentioned this. People looked down on him, bullied him, all because they didn't understand or know him. It wasn't fair. Dexter was a good guy. Sure, he was shy and awkward when you first met him, but he was kind and fun to be around.

I took a deep shuddering breath to keep me from doing anything illegal. I wouldn't regret it later, but I didn't think that Will would want to bail me out of jail. Again. "I didn't think it possible for people to be so ignorant and cruel, but I guess I was sadly mistaken." I spoke in an eerily calm voice, not yet looking up at the sources of my anger.

"What?"

"Did it ever occur to you that I actually like being friends with Dexter? That maybe I'm not as shallow and judgmental as you three?"

"Who are you calling shallow and judgmental?" she sneered, enraged.

I snapped my head up at them, angrier than I had ever remembered being in my whole life. They gasped in shock, no doubt horrified by my now crimson eyes. "You three disgust me."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Valerie exclaimed.

"NO! I'm not done yet!" I growled shocking them to silence. "Right from the moment I saw you three I knew exactly what type of people you were." I directed my anger towards Jill, "Jill, right away I could tell, you may act tough, but it seems you feel the need to trample others to feel accomplished. It's quite sad. Your type: a posing punk." Her mouth fell open after I made my comment.

"Valerie, you're a conceited self-centered bitch who only dates guy for looks and status. Just because you're attractive it makes you think you're better than everyone else, so you think you can step on others like insects. It's pathetic, really. Your type: a narcissistic whore." Valerie's face turned red in anger.

Then I turned my sickened gaze to Steff. "Out of the three of you, you are by far the most disgusting, though. At first glance you appear to be the nicest one in this group. Modest, kind, polite, but I know better. I can see right through your act. You're the kind of person that pretends to be someone's friend, but really just wants to twist a knife in their back." I smirked, noting Steff's stunned expression. "Now, I know what you're thinking. How did I figure it out, right? That little comment I made about Freakazoid earlier was a sort of test. I wanted to see if I was right in my assumption that his girlfriend was using him, and I was. It's sad that he's too naïve to see it. He doesn't deserve to be tricked and used like that. Your type is without a doubt, a two-faced back-stabbing bitch."

"Now hold on! Just who do you think you are?" Valerie shouted.

I sneered at her, "I told you already, my name is Charlotte Hightopp. You've never dealt with someone like me, so let me warn you now. I speak my mind and I am not afraid to throw a few punches. Piss me off and I swear I will make your life a living hell. Do yourselves a favor and leave Dexter and I alone, you filthy parasites."

I bumped into Dexter as I stormed out of the store. Grabbing his wrist I continued stomping away from the store.

"Charlotte, what's wrong?" Dexter asked, desperately trying to keep up with my pace.

"Nothing. We're leaving." I told him, not stopping or turning to give him so much as a glance.

"If they said something about me you really shouldn't worry about it."

I stopped dead in my tracks.

"I'm used to it by now. It's no big deal, so put it out of your mind."

I felt my eyes changing color rapidly all of a sudden as mixed emotions raged within me. "Mind?" I heard a voice ask from inside my head ask. "What mind? You've already lost your mind!" My thoughts became hazy and I could barely register the fact that I had dropped Dexter's wrist, my hands then flying to my head, clutching it. The voice laughed, "You're mad! Mad as a Hatter!" My eyes clenched shut as the voice began to multiply and sing, growing to a deafening volume, "Madwoman! Madwoman! Madwoman! Madwoman! Madwoman! Madwoman! Madwoman!"

"Make it stop!"I panicked. What was wrong with me?

"Charlotte?"

And just like that, at the sound of his voice, my eyes went back to green, the voices were silenced, and the fog that had consumed my mind had lifted. I took a deep breath before facing my friend.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I said, almost reflexively.

"Are you really?"

"I don't know anymore." "I'm fine, really." I lied, forcing a smile.

He gave me a look that clearly said he wasn't buying it. "Hey, would you look at the time! I have to go get ready for work, Dexter. See you tomorrow!" I fled before Dexter could ask anything else.

.:DIVIDER:.

I sighed as I put my uniform on. "What's happening to me?" I thought in a rare moment of depression. "What happened today was so strange." I stood in front of my full length mirror, hand resting on my reflection's. "What kind of beast am I becoming?"

When I finished dressing I pulled my hair back into a pony tail, then examined my appearance. My uniform was made up of a black long sleeved button up shirt with black crescent moons on the crimson cuffs and collar. Black dress pants and black shoes were also part of the uniform.

"Maybe work will take my...mind...off of whatever's happening to me." I thought hopefully.

"Sister, are you ready yet?" my brother asked through my bedroom door.

"Yes, William. Don't forget that you're working tomorrow." I answered as I stepped out of my room.

"I won't. Be careful, okay?"

I smiled at his concern. "Always."

That said, I left for work.

.:DIVIDER:.

I will stop here for now. Thank you to everyone who has been reading this story and a special thanks to Nathalorial and Special Sam for your support so far. Okay, so you all know how Charlotte is supposed to sing in an upcoming chapter. Well, I have no idea what she should sing. Obviously, it should fit her personality, but I'm drawing here. That's where you, the reviewers, come in. Please make song suggestions and I will choose on or two. Your help is appreciated, as I am at a loss.