A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this update took so long. I got placed on some new medication this week that made my brain very fuzzy and made it next to impossible to focus. But that's clearing up, so here it goes!

There's no flashback in this chapter, but there will be in the next one. I was going to have John pick her up from school, but I changed it Dean. Ronnie opens up a little about what Jack meant by Ronnie sending his dad to prison, and the next chapter will wrap that storyline up. There's a few more chapters planned after that, so this isn't even close to it. Stay tuned!

"You think you're getting away from me?" Billy called. "Turn around, you bitch. You ruined my life, the least you can do is turn around."

"Come on, Ronnie. Let's go." Whitney urged. "Don't let him get to you."

"I have to." Ronnie said. "If I don't, he'll just keep tormenting me."

"Then let's tell John or Dean or the principal about what's going on. Come on, don't fight on the first day. You'll never live that down."

"I won't do anything unless he starts it first."

Ronnie saw Whitney's point, saw she was trying to protect her, but Whitney just didn't know. She didn't know what was going on right then in Ronnie's head. Whitney wasn't aware of the fear Ronnie still carried around inside her constantly because of the way she'd been treated, not just by Jack, but others like him.

It was time for her to take back a little of her power. Get rid of at least a little of that constant sick feeling inside her.

"Whitney, take my backpack, please."

Whitney shook her head, but took the backpack and put it on her shoulder.

"Go on. Head home." Ronnie said.

"No way." Whitney said. "I may not agree with you, but I'm not gonna let you do something stupid alone."

Ronnie would come to recognize that moment as the moment she formed her first ever lasting friendship with someone her own age, but she was too focused on Billy to recognize it just then. She turned back to find that Billy had come straight for her and was standing close enough she could smell his breath. Just like his father years before.

"Back up, Billy."

"Or what?" Billy taunted. "What are you gonna do if I don't? Tell someone else and get me sent to jail like you did my dad?"

"I said back up."

Billy laughed. "You're pathetic."

"I'm not fifteen in the eighth grade."

Before she knew what was coming, Ronnie found herself knocked down to the ground. Without even looking at what she was doing, Ronnie kicked, grabbed onto Billy, and lashed out as hard as she could. She heard a small crowd gathering behind her, cheering the two of them on. Just as she had Billy pinned down, the memory of her seven-year-old helpless self, hurting and crying running through her mind, she felt herself pulled back and away from Billy.

"Ronnie! Calm down!"

Dean? What are you doing here? "Let me at him!"

"No! Calm the hell down! Now!"

"You too, Mr. Wilkerson." Billy was being held back by the school principal, Ronnie by Dean. "All of you start heading home! Now!"

The disappointed crowd was broken up, and Dean pulled a still fighting Ronnie to him. "What happened?"

"He came after her first." Whitney said from the sidelines.

"That doesn't answer the question. Ronnie, what happened?"

"Dee, I didn't touch him…"

Dean still wasn't completely used to Ronnie calling him Dee. He couldn't decide if he liked it or not. Sam was the only one who had ever called him that. Right now, that was on the backburner.

"Ronnie, calm down."

"Mr. Winchester, can you meet me in my office in five minutes please?" The principal, Mrs. Mulroney, asked. "Give me enough time to calm Billy down and call his mother."

"Sure." Dean turned back to the still shaking Ronnie. "Ronnie, come on, kid. Talk to me. What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Well you better tell me something!" Dean said, exasperated. "You don't strike me as the kid to just fight for no reason."

"He started it." Ronnie said. She didn't know why she was so reluctant to tell Dean everything going on, but she was. "He started it."

"Okay, kid. Come on, let's go to the principal's office."

"What are you doing here?" Ronnie asked.

"I got off from the garage a little early so I thought I'd come get you from school." Dean explained. "What happened out here?"

Ronnie shook her head. "Nothing."

"Kiddo, look at who you're talking to. You know how many fights I was in in school? At least tell me he provoked you."

"He provoked me." Ronnie said flatly.

Dean sighed. He clearly wasn't going to get any answers from Ronnie. Dean took Ronnie's backpack from Whitney, who left to walk home. Ronnie was quiet and subdued on the walk to the principal's office. Billy was waiting there, sitting in one of the four chairs in the office, slumped over and pouting. When Ronnie and Dean walked in, Billy barely acknowledged them and Mrs. Mulroney pointed to two of the other empty chairs.

Ronnie didn't know why she felt the need to not tell Dean what was going on. Dean had more than proved to her that he was trustworthy. But admitting what had happened with Billy was something she just couldn't do.

"Have a seat."

"Thanks." Dean said.

He started to take the seat on the far, directly opposite Billy, before Ronnie ran around him and took that chair instead. Dean's brain immediately went to work. She's scared of this kid. Why? When Dean took his seat, he grabbed Ronnie's hand, hoping she wouldn't push him away like she might have just a few weeks earlier.

"Alright. I need to know what happened out there, but we are all going to be respectful in here. Am I clear?"

"Yes, ma'am." Ronnie answered.

Billy mumbled under his breath, something that sounded suspiciously like whatever.

"Mr. Wilkerson. I asked if you understood."

"Yes."

Dean tensed. Years of conditioning had taught him to make sir and ma'am automatic, and it bothered him to no end when his internal rule wasn't followed by someone else.

"Okay. Now what happened out there? One of you at a time. Why don't we start with you, Miss Wells?"

Ronnie shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "He called me a name. I told him more than once to leave me alone. He jumped me and I defended myself."

"What name?" Dean asked.

"Mr. Winchester, I'd prefer if she didn't repeat it here in the office." Mrs. Mulroney said. She moved swiftly over to Billy. "What do you have to say, Mr. Whitaker?"

"She ruined my life. She got my dad sent to jail."

Ronnie tensed in her seat, but didn't respond.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean asked.

"Mr. Winchester, please. Language." Mrs. Mulroney chastised lightly.

Dean bit his tongue and took a deep breath. Sitting in the principal's office was an all too familiar feeling for him, both from the parent and student perspective. While it was annoying for him, he understood that Mrs. Mulroney was just trying to set an example for Billy and Ronnie, so he sat back.

"Mr. Wilkerson, is that true? Did you attack Miss Wells?"

"She deserved it."

"No matter whether or not you believe that, Mr. Wilkerson, attacking another student is in no way allowed. You have one week of detention, starting on Monday."

"What about her?" Billy asked. "Why can't she be in trouble for what she did to me?"

"I will deal with her in a moment, Mr. Wilkerson. But I expect you to show up for each and every detention. Is that clear?"

"Fine."

"You can go and wait for your mother in the hall." Mrs. Mulroney said.

Billy mumbled something else that Dean barely heard, but Dean was proud of himself for how he held his ground. Whatever Billy had against Ronnie, Dean decided, it was nowhere near bad enough to treat her in any way short of perfectly respectful.

"Miss Wells, are you okay?" Mrs. Mulroney asked.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm fine."

"Do you and Mr. Wilkerson have some kind of history together? You don't have to give me specifics if you don't want to."

"Yes, ma'am. We do." Ronnie said quietly.

"With you two being in the same grade, it could be difficult, but I can keep him apart from you. All different classes, I can tell him that if he goes near you again he'll be in trouble, anything you feel like you need."

Ronnie shook her head. "That's not necessary."

"I think you should take it, kiddo…" Dean started to say.

"I'm okay, Dean. Really." Ronnie answered. She was still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"You can stop worrying about whether you're in trouble, Miss Wells. I saw the fight start from my window. I know he jumped on you first and you were just defending yourself."

Ronnie exhaled hard. "Thank you."

"But that doesn't give you license to start any fights with him in the future." Mrs. Mulroney said, a slight edge to her voice. "I've seen your transcripts, Miss Wells. You've been suspended seven times in seven years for fighting. I want to give you another chance this year. I don't believe in suspension, but I can and will give you after school detention for weeks if it's needed."

"Yes, ma'am. I understand."

"Very well. If you're sure you don't need the nurse, Miss Wells, you're free to go. Mr. Winchester, I assume you're taking her home…"

"Yes. Thank you." Dean said, reaching over and shaking Mrs. Mulroney's hand. He too was happily surprised Ronnie wasn't in more trouble.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Mrs. Mulroney said. "Have a good night, Miss Wells."

"You too."

Ronnie left the school building with Dean, walking slowly behind him towards the Impala. Dean's face was scrunched tightly, and Ronnie knew he was angry. While she might have been out of trouble with the principal, she was surely in for it now when she got home. Ronnie took the front seat and placed her backpack in the floorboard, waiting on Dean to start lecturing her.

Or worse.

But something caught Ronnie's attention from the other side of the parking lot. Billy was getting into a car. In the driver's seat was an extremely unhappy looking woman. She looked twenty years older than the last time Ronnie had seen her, but there was no doubt who she was. Her conflicting feelings raging inside her, Ronnie turned and focused her attention on Dean, who was starting the car.

"Just get it over with, please."

Dean, who was just about to pull out of the parking space, stopped and turned to Ronnie. "What, kiddo?"

"Just get it over with, please. Whatever you're gonna say or do about me fighting today."

Dean was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I know you're mad, just get it over with!" Ronnie repeated.

Dean took the key out of the ignition. "I'm not mad at you. Why would I be mad at you?"

"You look like you just swallowed sour milk and you're not talking to me."

"I'm pissed at that jackass kid for attacking you. Not at you. All you did was defend yourself."

Ronnie, skeptical, asked, "You're really not mad?"

Dean sighed. "Look, kid. I've gotten in my share of fights. I'm not gonna judge you for that. Just promise you'll do what Mrs. Mulroney said. Don't provoke anything, but if Billy comes after you again, you do exactly what you did today."

Ronnie smiled. "Okay."

"Actually, scratch that. He bothers you again, you tell me. Got it?"

"Got it. Thanks. Hey, Dean? Can we keep this between us? Not tell your dad about it?"

Dean smiled. Though he was certain John wouldn't be upset when the whole story came out, he understood Ronnie's desire to keep the afternoon's events under wraps. "You got it."

"What are we gonna tell him though? About why I'm so late?" Ronnie asked. "It's almost five."

"How about I'll call him and tell him we went to grab a slice of pizza after school? I'll take the blame for not calling him."

"Deal."

"Let's go." Dean said. "Hey, Ronnie? You know I got you, right? You need me, all you have to do is say so."

"I know." Ronnie said. "I do." She took a breath and asked, "Do you want to know about that history I mentioned with Billy?"

Dean nodded. He knew that for Ronnie to volunteer information about her past was a sign that she trusted him, and he'd never felt more touched. "Sure, kiddo."

"His parents were my foster parents for a while. His mom was real nice to me, but Billy and his dad weren't."

"What did they do?"

"At first, Billy would do stupid kid stuff. Push me and tease me. Stuff I could ignore easily enough. His dad just ignored me at first. Then one night Billy tricked me."

"How old were you?"

"I was seven. He was nine. He told me he found some cool bird's nest outside and he wanted to show it to me. Instead he pushed me in the underground cellar they had out there and locked me in there for hours."

"Little bastard." Dean said. "Sorry, go on."

"His mom found me, but it was hours later. I told her what happened and she punished Billy. She spanked him with a switch and made him apologize to me. She lectured him for a long time, told him that I could've died down there and he'd have been responsible." Ronnie explained. "After that's when Billy really got nasty."

"How so?"

"He'd do anything to get me in trouble and his dad would always believe him."

"What did his dad do?"

Ronnie swallowed. "Spanked me. A lot. Mostly with his belt. Sometimes with the belt and a paddle."

"How often did that happen?"

"Every couple of days." Ronnie said. "Sometimes more than once a day."

"Son of a BITCH!" Dean yelled, slamming his hands on the steering wheel. He saw Ronnie jump and apologized again. "Sorry. They just really piss me off."

"It's okay. It feels good having someone stand up for me." Ronnie said.

"How did jail get in the mix?" Dean asked. "What did his dad do to you to go to jail?"

"I got tired of it one night. Billy had stolen some money from his dad, and of course I caught the blame. He came in the room to spank me and I told him to leave me alone. I didn't do it and I didn't deserve to get punished for it."

"How'd he react?"

"The last thing I remember before I woke up in the hospital a week later is him throwing me up against the wall."

Dean collected himself, and the effort to do so was monumental. He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "You're safe now with Dad. You know that, right?"

"I do." Ronnie said. "I really do."

"He would never hurt you like that. Ever. I can't guarantee he'd never spank you, but he'd never hurt you that way."

"I really do get it, Dean. And I know you and Lisa wouldn't either."

"That's right." Dean said. "Come on, what do you say we call Dad and we go grab that pizza?"

"That sounds good."

Forty-five minutes later, as Dean was dropping Ronnie off at his father's, there was a familiar face sitting on the porch with John. It took Ronnie a moment to place it, but when she did, her heart dropped.

Mona had come to see her.