A/N: See Prologue for typical disclaimer.

And..wow. Seven reviews in one day. That's a record for me. Well, you asked, and now you shall receive! But first, a little shoutout to those who did review:
Kreyana: I only claim that I cannot write because unlike most people, I can't just sit down with a pen every moment of the day and scratch something it out. Things like this come in a small burst (and repetitive listening to of a song) and are very short-lived.
BagginAlong: Why thank you. The only thing I can promise is a bit more angst along the way.
kinky kitty: ... I can resist the puppy eyes, I just choose not to -grin-
diamondprincess2006: Actually..the entire story is written out. It's uploaded and ready to be posted, but I'm waiting to get reviews on each chapter (probably only a few) so I can say thank you to people before posting
Diechan: Is the next day soon enough?
SeekingRedemption: -chuckles- He'll get his own in the end. Don't worry
Super Yam: Yes, this is short because it's the prologue. I think Chapter 4 is the longest yet, but because the story was based off the song Concrete Angel, all the chapters will be relatively short.

Thank you all again for such a great comeback.

Chapter 1
Part 2/6

Morning came as it was meant to, and he went through the normal ritual of getting ready for school, leaving the bathroom for the last. As he slipped into the near-hospital-like room of his bathroom, he used the toilet first then moved in front of the mirror, still not meeting his own eyes in the reflection as he ran the brush through his hair. He winced just a little when the bristles brushed against his cheek and sighed, finally raising his gaze to meet the green eyes that seemed to almost be expecting him.

He gazed dispassionately at the bruise marring the better portion of his cheek, turning it to an ugly shade of purple and black, with hints of green around the edges. It was nothing new really...just the location had changed from his arms and legs to his face. He pulled the mirror open and picked up a heavy foundation from inside, looking at the half-empty bottle he'd bought earlier, saying it was a gift for his mother, along with all the other items he'd picked out for skin tone. The powder to cover it came down next to be set on the edge of the sink.

He opened the bottle and tapped some of it to his hand, gazing down at the peachy substance before rubbing it a little between the fingers of either hand and working on applying it to his entire face. This would cover most of it hopefully, and if it didn't, the powder would fix it so no one would know. He gingerly rubbed it onto the bruise, tears stinging again as he pressed a little too hard. By the time the foundation seemed about even to him, he was ready to throw the little bottle across the room. His shoulders were trembling a little, and he had to stop himself from letting the tears fall, not only from pain this time. His own father had done this to him, and he couldn't help but wonder what he'd done so wrong this time. A shaking hand reached for the powder as he thought about it, eyes closed.

--Flashback--

He was reclining on his bed, reading over his anatomy textbook in preparation for the test that was only a few days away, a frown on his face as he committed the facts to memory. His friends had told him various different reasons why they couldn't have some fun tonight, and he'd accepted it at face value, opting to study instead of pestering them.

His door had slammed opened, revealing his father and the faint scent of alcohol and whatever choice drug he'd been using at the time. He'd crawled out of bed to stand up and hopefully direct the man to his bed down the hall, but hadn't nearly gotten halfway before his father had started screaming at him about something he couldn't even remember. All he could hear was the grating voice as he'd stepped closer, step by step, until the man had lashed out and backhanded him, muttering something about a faggot and heading out to probably drink some more.

--End Flashback--

Through his remembering, he hadn't even noticed as he put the foundation on, but he couldn't help but smile just a little as he noticed how perfect it seemed. Only someone that was staring at him for a long time would notice that it was slightly off color, and even then he could just play it on the lighting. He reached up and opened the mirror again, setting the makeup back into it before closing it.

As he turned, he was met by his mother. A hint of fear that he quickly squashed was washed away as he looked at her.

"I left your lunch on the table...be sure to grab it on your way out."

Of course, how could he forget? She'd promised to make him something so he wouldn't have to do it himself this morning. Giving her a faint smile that tugged on the bruised skin, he nodded and slipped past her to grab her book bag and all but run to his best friend's house, waiting for him to come out.

TBC

So, what did you all think? Good enough or needs work? Ha, if you think it needs work, it won't get it. I'm done with it, but I'm going to wait a bit before posting the next chapter. The review button says feed me, I say critiques improve writing. –shrug- Whatever you want. If you just want me to post the next chapter, let me know! I'll try to give a line out to whoever says anything.