So, after the success of her first three classes, what's next for Sasha? Read on to find out, my loves. =)

(Just a heads-up: I'll be touching a bit on a bit of a sensitive issue that may be a bit triggering to some, so I advise you read with caution.)

"And Physical Fitness was another great class. I may have had to keep reminding myself to keep my strength in check, but I still found it enjoyable," Sasha told Bayley as the brunette checked the shield that was covering her Gem in what she was told was a "restroom"-'This doesn't seem like a room that would be suitable to rest in. But, I'm sure it has another purpose,' the magenta-haired Gem thought-during their lunch break after Bayley had eaten.

"Really? Aww, that's great, Sasha. Sounds like you've really been enjoying your time here."

"I have. I never thought being in an actual school would be so enjoyable. I'm ...glad I decided to take a chance and attend. I've learned so much already, and I can't wait to learn more," Sasha said, a smile starting to tug at her lips.

As she listened to the magenta-haired Gem talk more about how her day had been going so far, Bayley couldn't help the smile that started to cross her face. 'This is so great! Sasha really seems to be liking school. I hope she'll decide to stay. This sounds like just the thing she wanted and needed.' Her check over the shield done, Bayley said "OK! The shield's still in place over your Gem, with an added shield I just put over it to be on the safe side."

"OK. Thanks, Bayley. Now, I just have to make it through my other three classes, and then I can tell Dean and the others about my day," Sasha said as she stood and smoothed out her shirt.

"I'm sure they'll be glad to hear about how school went for you," Bayley smiled.

"I'm sure they will be, too," Sasha smiled herself as she grabbed her backpack and carefully slung it over her shoulder. Walking out of the restroom stall behind Bayley, she let her thoughts drift back to her earlier classes. 'I wonder if Mr. Copeland would let me borrow some of his books to read. He looked to have a fairly diverse collection.' She had been so lost in her thoughts that she almost walked into Bayley, who had suddenly stopped. "What? Bayley, what is it?"

Not quite knowing what to say, all the brunette could do was point in the direction of where three students were.

Mia Yim had been living in the town of Emerald Pines for a number of years now. ...But, somehow, she hadn't had much success with making friends over the years. She wasn't sure why that was, as it was just something that she had come to accept no matter how much it hurt her.

"Thanks so much for the cash, Mimi. I was running low and needed some to get lunch," the dark-haired girl said as she counted the money she took from the younger teen.

"Sure, Shayna. No problem," Mia mumbled as she held her book close to her.

"It's been a pleasure as always. See you same time tomorrow," the girl, Shayna, smirked before she and the other girl walked away.

Watching as the two older teens walked away, the blue-haired girl couldn't help the sigh that escaped her and a stray tear rolled down her cheek. She just didn't know why. Why? Why, out of all of the students in this school did Shayna Baszler go out of her way to bully her? 'I've never even done anything to her. So, ...why is she always after me?'

"Excuse me? Mia?" a voice asked behind the blue-haired teen.

Jumping a bit, Mia spun around only to find herself face-to-face with two other students, one she recognized from her Literature class. ...She just couldn't seem to remember her name. "Yeah? What is it, umm…."

"Sasha. My name is Sasha Ambrose, and I'm the new student in your Literature class and to this school. And this is my cousin Bayley," the magenta-haired teen answered, making the needed introductions.

"Oh, yeah. Mr. Copeland gave you the seat beside me. Well, I'm Mia Yim," the blue-haired girl responded with an introduction of her own. With a sudden lull in the conversation, Mia asked "So. What brings you two to this area of the school?"

"Well, we were leaving the restroom when Bayley happened to see you and those other girls down this hallway. Is everything okay?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah yeah yeah, everything's fine. I was ...I was just telling Shayna and Nia about something they had missed in our Science class yesterday," Mia lied. "I was just filling them in on a project we have coming up soon."

"Are you sure? That's not what it seemed to be to me," Sasha said.

"Yes, Sasha, that's what it was! ...I have to go now. See you both later," Mia said before turning and walking away from the now confused pair.

She stood and watched as Mia walked away until the blue-haired teen was out of her line of sight. "She was lying," Sasha finally said.

"How can you tell?" Bayley asked.

"I could just tell from her body language. Mia didn't seem to like talking about those other girls that were with her here," Sasha pointed out.

"Oh no. Do you think they were bullying her?" Bayley asked, beginning to feel worried about the blue-haired girl.

"Bullying? What do bulls have to do with this?" Sasha asked, not quite familiar with what a bully was.

"No, Sasha. Bullying is when somebody picks on someone else. They'll basically do things that the other person doesn't quite like," Bayley explained as best she could.

"That doesn't sound very nice," Sasha said after getting that explanation. "Do you think we should tell one of the authority figures here?"

"We should, ...but I don't know if we should get involved with that. Maybe we saw that wrong," Bayley said, feeling hesitant about getting involved. "Come on. Let's head on to our next classes. Lunch'll be ending soon, anyway.

The magenta-haired Gem didn't like the sound of that, but ...what exactly could she do? Sasha suddenly remembered her oath as a Gem warrior to protect humans from anything that would do them harm. 'If Mia is getting bullied, ...then I feel I should do something to help her. ...But, Bayley says not to get involved. What should I do about this?' the magenta-haired Gem thought as she walked along with Bayley to her next class.

Oh dear. And just when it seemed like everything was going well, it looks like Sasha seems to have stumbled upon one of the unsavory aspects of school. And that aspect would be...*insert dramatic music sting here*...bullies. Bullies that seem to have singled poor Mia out for ...reasons. Poor girl. If only Sasha could figure out some way to help her. But, the question now is...How? Hopefully, that answer will come soon. But, until then, don't forget to R&R please. =)

(Stay safe out there, and remember what you've told to do to protect yourself from germs. *sends love and good vibes out to you all*)