The next day at school Rachel was going to her locker and Richard was standing there with a pink sparkly plastic bag with purple tissue paper sticking out of it.

"What's in the bag?" Rachel asked opening her locker.

"It's for you." Richard stated handing Rachel the bag. She took it and looked at it, then looked up at the tall smiling teen.

"Why are you doing all this?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know Rae. Maybe because it's a nice thing to do." Richard said with a smile.

"Don't call me..."

"Don't call you Rae. I know, sorry. Now are you going to open your present or what." Richard said and Rachel opened the present revealing a black backpack. She looked up to him and smiled.

"You like it?" Rachel nodded, speechless of what to say. Richard was being so kind to her after all the mean things she said to him. Everyone in the hallway saw the whole giving of the present transpire. Richard was the cool kid of the school who got all A's and played varsity sports. Everyone wanted to be his friend and every girl wanted to date him. People were shocked to see him with new girl at school, except Victor, he knew Richard liked her.

"Thank you Richard." Rachel said quietly smiling. Richard noticed this wasn't her sarcastic smile it was a real smile that showed happiness.

"It's no problem Rachel. Ready for English?" Richard said putting a hand to Rachel's back and leading her toward English class.

After English it was their free period and they went to the library. Richard took this chance to get to know Rachel better.

"So Rachel what brought you to Gotham High?" Richard asked leaning back in his chair with his arms behind his head.

"I got kicked out off all the other schools, so I had to come here." Rachel said not looking up from her book.

"Oh...um... Play any sports?" Richard asked.

"No."

"Um...Do you like movies? Cause I can get us tickets, and we could..."

"No." Rachel said keeping her monotone voice not looking up from her book still.

"So you like to read?" Richard said with a smile knowing he would get a 'yes' answer.

"What is this? Twenty questions or something?" Rachel said slamming her book on the table.

"I am just trying to get to know you better Rae."

"Would you stop calling me that please!" Rachel yelled and got up from the table and went down a book aisle.

"Why can't I call you that?" Richard asked and Rachel ignored him looking at the books. "Can you look at me?" Rachel kept her head down. "Please." Richard said with much kindness in his voice. Rachel finally looked at him. Richard saw pain and sadness in her beautiful violet orbs. He felt it and it gave him chills. He didn't understand how her beauty came with such unhappiness.

"Happy?" Rachel said interrupting his thoughts.

"Why won't you talk to anyone?"

"I am talking to you, aren't I?"

"I mean talk about what is going on."

"You are talking in riddles. If you have something to say, just spit it out already." Rachel said getting irritated.

"Why do you have to be like that? Why do you have to push everyone away. The principle is trying to help you. Hell, I am trying to help you."

"You don't and wouldn't understand." Rachel began to walk away but Richard grabbed her arm.

"Ow!" She said yanking her arm away from him. She pulled up her sleeve to check out if her cut her abusive father gave her was okay.

"Are you okay? I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I am fine." Rachel said finally picking a book and walking back to the table.

"Why can't I call you Rae? And where did you get that cut?" Richard asked randomly.

"It was what my mother use to call me." Rachel answered him.

"Rachel I am so sorry, I didn't know."

"I actually like that you call me Rae, but it reminds me of someone so close to me not being there anymore." Rachel said beginning to open up to Richard who was now holding Rachel's hand.

"I won't leave Rae, I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep." Rachel said and the bell rang. She got up from the table and left leaving Richard in the library. Richard was happy that he finally got Rachel to open up to him, but he was sad knowing there is still more going on. "Just let me help you." Richard whispered to himself watching Rachel leave.

It was now the last class of the day and Richard was waiting for Rachel outside the door of 's history class. She had five more minutes until she was late. Richard was beginning to get worried. He did not want Rachel to get another strike and he definitely did not want her to get kicked out of school. There was so much more Richard wanted to know about her. Richard saw Victor passing by.

"Hey Vic, have you seen Rachel?"

"Actually yeah, she told me to tell you that she decided to go home instead of going to history." Victor laughed. "That girl makes me laugh, she just makes up her own rules." Richard looked at his watch, he now had four minutes to get Rachel to class before getting another strike. Richard sprinted toward the parking lot and he saw Rachel walking down the steps.

"What the hell Rachel! Where do you think you are going? We have class." Richard yelled to her.

"You have class, I have to go home." She simply replied.

"You can't just decide when you want and don't want to go to class. Now come one, we have three minutes." Rachel turned around from the conversation and began walking home. Richard ran in front of her "Rachel think about this, do you really want to move schools again?"

"No, I don't Richard, but I really have to get home."

"Now?"

"Yes, now. That's why I am trying to leave." She said smartly.

"More like trying to ditch. Don't get all smart with me and pretend you are right in this, cause you're not." Richard stated firmly.

"Would you just shut up and leave me alone!" Rachel yelled at Richard and the bell rang. Richard looked at his watch losing track of time.

"Just great now were both late." He sighed.

"I'm not late; you're late." Rachel said and tried to walk around Richard, but he moved every time she did. "Stop!"

"Why do you have leave so badly?" He asked.

"I have chores that need to be done before my father gets home." Rachel answered.

"I'm sure he would rather have you at school then at home cleaning."

"Well you don't know him like I do." Rachel said with fear in her voice.

"Let's go to class, come on." Richard held out a hand for her to take. Richard realized this was going to take a lot of work. Keeping this girl in school was like keeping alcohol away from an alcoholic; hard. Rachel looked at his hand with a skeptical face and reluctantly took Richard's hand and were late to class together.

After school Richard walked Rachel outside to the parking lot.

"Need a ride?" he asked sweetly.

"No thank you." Rachel declined kindly. Things were still tense from the situation before class.

"'Hey Rachel. If you need any help with your home work, here is my number." Richard handed her a paper with his number and smiled. "And I am going to talk the principle and see if he won't give you that second strike."

"Oh. Umm Thanks Richard." They stood by Richard's motorcycle for a couple seconds in silence. "Well, I really have to get going. I will talk to you later." Rachel said smiling and walked away. Richard looked back at her to see her hair flow in the wind. He smiled and laughed to himself. He was really falling for her, and it has only been two days. Two days of arguing, and not even bonding or having nice conversations, but that was what he liked about Rachel she was different and there was much to learn about her. She was going to like him on her terms unlike all the other girls in the school who would throw themselves at Richard if they had the chance.

Once Rachel got home she was met by her angry father.

"Where the hell have you been?" Trigon asked venom sticking to every word.

"I was at school." Rachel said.

"I don't care. When I say I want something done you better get it done." Trigon slapped Rachel and she fell onto the floor. "Get up and clean the house." Rachel held her hand to her burning cheek. "I said get up!" Tirgon yelled and grabbed Rachel pulling her up off the ground and he punched her hard in the face. Rachel fell back down to floor hitting her head against the wall and she fell to the hard cold tile floor. She was crying and curled up into fetal position. Trigon laughed, "I want this house to be spotless." Rachel laid there for a couple minutes trying to calm her heart beat which was racing and she tried to stop crying. Blood was now trickling down the back of her neck. Her head busted open from hitting the wall. Rachel went to her room and cleaned herself up. She saw that she was going to have a black eye so she decided she would just skip school tomorrow. Rachel cleaned the house from top to bottom without making a noise or any complaint knowing there would be a consequence.

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