A/N I wrote this some months ago for a leverageland challenge.

It Was Destiny.

Nate Ford was walking slowly in the cafeteria keeping his head down. It could feel the other students staring at him. He could feel their accusing glares. His father had been arrested just a couple of days ago. That's what happens when you're a loan shark and work for various mob families in Boston. His mother could barely keep it together and he was so angry with everyone, but mostly he was angry with his father. The police had took most of their savings and for him and his mother to survive and not to be thrown out of their house, he had to start looking for a job.

He found an empty table and sat there glad at the rest of the school were leaving him alone. He had to resist until the end of the school year, then he could graduate and move on. Suddenly he saw someone put a tray on the table and someone sat next to him. He looked up. In front of him sat a strange young blonde girl.

"Hi" she waved at him smiling weirdly. Then she started eating her food.

"Hi" he answered uncertain. Had they met before? "Haven't you heard? I'm not someone you would want to be seen with."

She shrugged. "Because your father was arrested? My Dad is a thief too." She squinted her eyes. "Actually he is my adopted father, but I've been living with his family for three years now. So I guess that would make him my father. He was the one that said I had to go to school. I don't really like it here. Too many rules"

Nate shook his head in disbelief. "Who are you?"

"I'm Parker Leach, but I like just Parker" she gave him another scary smile.

"I don't think McBeth is a play for me" They heard someone say while passing by their table. "Romeo and Juliet…."

Nate soon recognized the brunette talking. He quickly picked up his tray. "Sorry, I must go" and he left the cafeteria in a hurry.

Since there was time before he had a chess club meeting, he decided to take a walk outside.

"Nathan Ford!"

That clearly hadn't been a good idea. "Ian Blackpoole" he smirked at the boy blocking his path. " Oh, look there's even your lapdog"

"Can we hit him now? Please?"

"In a minute, Victor! You know, because of your father my family lost a lot of money."

"I don't know how that's my problem" Nate shrugged.

"I'll show you" Soon other guys came from behind the wall. Nate felt the first punch on his stomach and he bent in two from the blow. The second punch hit him on the jaw. They continued to hit him until he heard several car alarms from the parking lot going off all at once.

"Let's go!" Ian and Victor Dubenich shouted running away. "This is not over, Ford!"

Nate was hurting everywhere. He slowly managed to get up and pick up his bag. Walking very unsteadily he entered the main building from the back door. If only he could get to an empty class.

"Hey, what happened to you?" a sweet voice called at him. He would have recognized that voice anywhere.

"Nothing" he tried to walk pass her.

"You're bleeding, that's not nothing. Let me help you to the infirmary." She put an arm around his.

"No, no infirmary" he protested.

"Don't be stubborn, you need help!"

"No infirmary!" Nate insisted.

"Argh…." She glared at him. "Come!" she pushed him inside the girl's bathroom and locked the door.

"What?..."

"Sit!" she pointed at one of the stools. She grabbed some paper towels and wet them under the tap water. Then she kneeled in front of his and started cleaning the blood from his face.

Nate hissed at the contact.

"Oh shush! You big baby. Who did this to you?"

"Unhappy costumers"

"I'm Sophie Devereaux, by the way"

"I know" She lifted her eyebrow in question with a small smirk. Nate cleared his throat "I mean I saw you at the Christmas drama club production. You're that exchange student from England"

"Well, you seem to know a lot of things about me and I don't even know your name"

"Nate Ford"

"He's also got a big crush on you!" a voice startled them from behind.

"Parker!" Nate shouted embarrassed.

Sophie looked at the blonde standing behind her. "How did you get in? I'm sure I had locked the door"

Parker waved her off. "Like that's going to stop me!" She looked at Nate. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing you should worry about. I can take care of myself"

"Apparently not" Another voice came from the doorway.

"Really? Why today? And who are you?"

The boy just smirked and after typing something on his phone, they heard all their mobile phones ringing at the same time.

"You're the one who set all the car alarms off" Nate thought out loud.

"Alec Hardison, hacker extraordinaire!"

"Well, you practically saved my life, so thank you" Nate shook his hand.

"So, how are we going to make them pay?" Hardison smirked.

"By blackmailing the quarterback" Nate answered cryptically before leaving the bathroom.

Eliot Spencer, the football team's quarterback, was studying hard for the History test. He had to get at least a C or he was going to get kicked out of the team.

"Need help" Nate sat next to him.

"Go away!" he growled at him.

"What if I told you I could get you the answer for the test?" he smirked.

"How?" he looked up interested.

Nate nodded at Hardison who waved back. Next to him there were Sophie and Parker. "So?"

"What do you need?"

"Just a small favour with something. Are you in?"

Eliot shook his hand. "I'm in"

They both reached the others waiting for them. "Okay team, let's go!"

Two days later Ian Blackpoole and Victor Dubenich were kicked out of the school for hacking the school system and selling test results.

"I'm innocent!" Ian screamed kicking the security guard. "Victor, tell them!"

The team watched them being thrown out.

"That was fun!" Parker laughed.

"We should do it again!" Hardison agreed.

"Hey, I don't want to be seen with loser like you" Eliot walked away.

"Who knows?" Nate turned around and smiled at Sophie. "Maybe somewhere in the future"